Team 9
by Writer Nightpen
Summary: A NaruTouhou crossover, centered around Naruto. Wait... add Hinata and an ice-wielder, and we have a full Team Nineball! What manner of goof will they pull? Soccer? In Konoha? Inspired by S'TarKan's Team 8, but guaranteed NOT to be the same.
1. Formation

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and Touhou.

Read, enjoy, and gimme feedback, folks!

* * *

Team ⑨

Chapter 1: Formation

Kurenai Yuuhi has always been a great observer, and today was nothing different. Under a cloak of a simple genjutsu which made her presence ignorable to most ninja, she sat at the highest point of the Academy building. She was on a mission.

Under her, the pre-genin students are milling about, spending time in their own social circles. Kurenai had been scouting them for a few days now, in light of her impending appointment as a genin team instructor. The Hokage had appointed her, Asuma Sarutobi, and Hatake Kakashi to train future shinobis, in light of the prodigious amount of talents spotted in the academy. Kurenai had made a short-list of the talented children, and needless to say she was quite impressed herself. No less than twelve names had been in the list, which tallies to a full four complete teams. The Hokage had been briefed of this yesterday, and in light of Kurenai's discovery, agreed to appoint one more instructor.

While toying with the idea of who the fourth instructor will be, Kurenai's gaze locked on the sole heir of the Uchiha bloodline. Famous for their uber-powerful Sharingan eye, she could see that his strength, perception, endurance, intelligence, and agility are well above genin standards. If there's someone who will ace the pre-genin exams, Kurenai won't be so surprised if Sasuke is the one. However, Sasuke is clearly faring badly in the social circle, Kurenai duly noted. His personality contained so much drive that it is certainly unhealthy. Coupled with his antisocial tendencies, Kurenai was pretty sure that the boy was a walking time bomb. She had noted it in her last report, and The Hokage said that he would think of measures to remedy the matter.

Kurenai sighed heavily. The old man deserves a good break from all the hell. If she had the managerial and leadership skills for it, she would gladly step in and relieve the grand old man from his heavy responsibility. Alas, she has not.

A flash of chakra spike suddenly alerted the kunoichi, bringing her sense to full alert. She saw some altercation down below, but she did not have to glance the second time to discern the culprit. It was no other that Naruto Uzumaki, who apparently just dumped a bucketful of something on Sasuke. Kurenai smirked as she witnessed Naruto getting pounded by the so-called Sasuke Fans' Club for playing a prank on their beloved prince. She understood well that the Yondaime's descendant has a fair potential to pass the pre-genin test, although his position on Kurenai's shortlist is quite precarious at the number twelve. Kurenai noted the happy-go-lucky boy had tremendous amount of endurance and power, but sadly his intelligence and perception is hampered by his antics.

Shifting the gaze from the pounded boy, Kurenai locked on another genin aspirant who was Hinata Hyuuga. The girl sat comfortably in the middle of Kurenai's list, but right now she only watched the spectacle unfolding by peering from the blind corner of the nearby sport equipments' shed. Kurenai sighed again. She could be quite the stalker if it was linked to Naruto. The heir to the Hyuuga clan was shy to the extreme, a fact that had been pretty familiar to Kurenai. She was the one who acted on her ignorant parent's stead on many occasions. _It was painful to see the talented girl being scorned by her own father, just because she did not meet his ridiculously high standards..._ Kurenai silently mused.

On a swing not far from the site of Naruto's beating, Kurenai saw another star candidate for the genin exams. The class belle, Tenshi Hinanai has been idly sitting there for about seven minutes now, with pleasantries exchanged to and from passersby every so often. The older kunoichi noted that the long-haired girl was also high on her list, probably second only to the prodigy who is Sasuke. The girl had been studying the art of Koken kenjutsu practically since she could walk, and Kurenai noted that it molded her mind and body nicely. The Battle Angel, as she was aptly nicknamed, can turn from a refined and polite schoolgirl into a fierce combatant whenever the situation calls.

As if on cue, something that looks like a water balloon exploded over the heads of the rabid Sasuke fangirls, who were still on the vicinity of the place where they beat Naruto to submission. From what expression she could read from this distance, Kurenai concluded that it was something that tasted or smelled pretty unpleasant, even both. A nearby tree emanated a shrill, female laugh, betraying the presence of another prankster of Naruto's class, Michiru Nogami. Kurenai noted that Naruto's partner-in-crime was only slightly better in terms of ability to the blond boy, but the fact that she unabashedly played and sometimes exchanged pranks with the most hated boy in Konohagakure filled Kurenai with pride. Her judgment of character, Kurenai mused, was already much better that the other kids and most adults, who will jump to any slight chance to blame, beat up, or shun Naruto outright. There was hope for him after all.

Over the next minute, a girl with silvery-white short hair went for the initiative to break the commotion. The girl, much to Kurenai's delight, is another genin aspirant: her name is Momiji Inubashiri, and also studies kenjutsu like Tenshi, albeit of a different style. Kurenai noted the presence of the two budding sword-bearing girls, and wondered what role they would play in Konoha's stride for the future. After all, sword-masters were somewhat hard to come by lately, Kurenai mused inside.

*.*

"Good evening, sir," a long, silver-haired ninja geared in battle raiments greeted, as he entered the Hokage's Room, "Undercover Jounin Agent, Eino Yagokoro reporting with the completion of contract."

"Ah, Eino! Good to finally see you again!" the Hokage said happily as he gestured for Eino to sit at the chair opposite across the table from him, "I trust that you had completed your final mission before coming here?"

"But of course, sir," the foreigner-looking man replied, "I trust that the smuggled designs for the so-called ARMS weaponry had been delivered via vegetable mail as per my written report."

"Well, yes... and now the intel department is piecing the peel from that crate of carrot as we speak," Hiruzen Sarutobi chuckled as he spoke. "The last report coming to me is that they had decoded merely about 24 percent of the whole document... Really Eino, you should just come up with something easier to decode. I am starting to take pity on those poor decoder people."

"At least it is perfectly safe and unattractive to our enemies, sir," Eino said seriously.

"Then at least devise a way to make them more manageable the next time around," the Sandaime retorted in a friendly way, "By the way, have you met your sister?"

"Yes sir, I spent the night at Eirin's for this past two days," Eino said, "and I'll be doing that while the housing contracts are being taken care of."

"I see then," The Sandaime replied, "How would you like a teaching job, Eino?"

"Well, that's quite new to me, sir..." Eino pondered as he rested his chin on his hands, "I'm not sure if I can be a good teacher."

"Aren't we all, when we are offered our first teaching job?" The Hokage mused in a wizened way, looking far across the room, "I'm sure you'll do your job well, Eino. You just have a flair on that."

"Ah, yes," Eino said as he remembered the long-past events, "I suppose I am, sir…"

"More importantly, Eino," the Hokage said as he leaned back to his chair and stroked his beard, "Your skills with chakra bullets must be preserved at all costs. Its practitioner is so rare right now, that it's practically something akin to a kekkei genkai of your family, even when it's not."

"Yes, I understand now, sir," Eino replied resolutely, "May I suggest a few improvements based on my soldiering experiences abroad?"

"Of course you are, Eino," Hiruzen beamed. "Exotic military knowledge may give us better edge against our competitors."

"I have envisioned a three-men team, specialized in assassinations done from afar," Eino elaborated, "The people abroad called them 'snipers', since they are supposedly able to kill the notoriously flighty shore-bird from a far distance away."

"Hmm, it breaks the mold quite apparently, I see," the old shinobi commented with an interested tone, "Do continue. I'm intrigued."

*.*

"... and so, that's my vision for the last genin team, which will be led by Eino here," The Sandaime concluded his explanation on how he envisioned the ninth genin team to be formed.

"If I may, Hokage-sama," Kakashi raised his hand.

"Go ahead," the Hokage said, while sitting back on his seat.

"The visions you have for this team... I find them a bit too heavy for a genin to shoulder. You don't hope to send kids out to the fields doing the killing this soon, do you?" the jounin explained his motion. "Your notion of a complete... long-range team is also hard to swallow. Shinobi in general has always been ones to excel in stealth and short-range..."

"But then, there's me," Eino's cool voice, coupled with a sharp tone, cut the Sharingan bearer in mid-sentence, "you don't suppose this Eino Yagokoro happened overnight, do you?"

"Duly noted, Kakashi," the Hokage complemented, breaking the slight tension. "However, covert long-range skirmishers like Eino have been rare to the extreme, and training a cadre of them from youth would give us a significant edge over our competitors. Before they are ready for grisly appointments, we could always place them in recon jobs, since their recon capabilities should prove adequate."

"I can see where you're going with this, sir," Kurenai Yuuhi said pensively, "but finding the right candidate for a team of such role will be hard. More so with the training."

"Well, that is for Eino to work on," the supreme leader of Konoha chuckled. "I see that you have lived up to my expectations, Kurenai. Let's see what your... recon has yielded."

"What do you mean; you've been spying on our own kids?" Asuma snapped. Evidently, the brawler had ran out of nicotine in his system due to the 'no smoking' sign in the room he had been the past few hours.

"Wouldn't call it 'spying'... I believe 'scouting' is a more appropriate term," Kurenai retorted. "Well then, out of the twelve graduates, I only see our next-to-last to be fitting in the skills needed for a long-ranged skirmisher like Eino. Of course, Sasuke Uchiha could make for a great candidate too, if not for the workable limitations of his fire-based jutsu."

"You must mean that Michiru Nogami," Iruka commented, "her kekkei genkai is perfect for ranged combat... if she trained more, that is."

"What's her kekkei genkai, anyway?" Eino asked quickly.

"It's called Fuyukaze… or something akin to that," answered the pre-genin teacher, "I suppose it's like manipulating ice without the use of hand seals."

"I think I'll take her nonetheless. Sniping requires distance, and I think I can work at the distance after hearing about her kekkei genkai," Eino commented. "This Sasuke may sound more well-rounded, but I think I could polish Michiru's skills to the best of her ability by teaching her my infamous Danmaku no Jutsu."

"She could do well with plenty of training, that I believe," Iruka replied.

"I can see that the matter is resolved, so that brings us to the next candidate," Kurenai resumed as Eino jotted the name into her note pad. "For the spotter role Hokage-sama outlined earlier, there are more candidates. Four of them had the proper kekkei genkai to do it, namely Hinata Hyuuga with her Byakugan, Shino Aburame with his kikai bugs, Kiba Inuzuka with his heightened senses, and Momiji Inubashiri with her Takagan."

"Tough choice indeed... especially with the scout setting an eye to the same target," Eino commented playfully.

"Well, sow-ry for having a recon-based team," Kurenai teased back amidst Asuma's scowl. "Take your pick, anyway. One team could only be occupied by three people, and we have four candidates. No hard feelings."

"Let's see here… as far as I remembered, Takagan is limited by its dependency to adequate lighting, while kikai bugs and Kiba's senses are of poor use to snipers since they rarely need to concern line of fire..." Eino mused seriously. "Sorry Kurenai, but I have to pick the Hyuuga girl and her Byakugan."

"Fair enough, I guess... Momiji could be a good asset to cover us with her kenjutsu," Kurenai commented on the jounin's choice. "Hinata could be a good addition to teams of any specialty, really… if she ever opens up..."

"Oh, I assure you, I'll be gentle on her," Eino retorted before laughing.

"Coming from you... it sounded soo Kami-damned wrong," Kakashi grunted.

"That leaves the commando role for your team, then," Iruka said pensively. "I guess that should be the easiest to pick from the remaining 10, as all of them are of passable taijutsu abilities. You might as well take Sasuke Uchiha for that role. He's the best of many this year, not to mention that his other capabilities are near the top, too."

"Or you could take that Sakura Haruno. I heard she made off with a good grade in the first aid course," Kakashi commented, joining the fray at last. "You might want to have a combat-capable medic in your team."

"I'm impressed, Kakashi~" Kurenai said cheerily, "I thought the only thing on your mind is only a three-letter word, beginning with an F and ending with a P?"

"Aw, shaddup..." Kakashi grunted. "I can't have a hard-on twenty-four hours a day, however many Icha Icha books I read..."

"Of course, that dead-last Naruto is also a candidate," Iruka commented, "his taijutsu had the power, if not the form."

"Interesting… I think I'll take the dead last," Eino said confidently, surprising Iruka, Kakashi, and to a milder degree, Kurenai and Asuma.

"You can't be serious, man," Iruka commented. "Although he could use Kage Bunshin no Jutsu to create thirty clones in one sitting, he's just too unfocused to handle training! Hell, even his preference to orange garbs can betray your team's presence…"

"Well, now you said that he could make thirty shadow-clones in one sitting," Eino replied. "It shows how immense his potential is. Even I could only make one or two clones, and four is the absolute maximum I would do."

"I see the logic behind them, Eino," Kurenai said, "but I should warn you that you have to deal with his many issues before making him into a great ninja."

"That's what we'll all do eventually…" the silver-haired undercover ninja said as he leaned back to his chair. Meanwhile, The Hokage re-entered the room, having conducted his business outside. Apparently the old shinobi slipped out from the discussion partway.

"Well well, I guess we have some of our first teams constructed, do we?" the Hokage concluded their discussion, "If you will iterate your picks for me, jounin instructors?"

"Very well, sir," Eino said with a smile, "Ninth Genin Team, instructed by Eino Yagokoro. Members, Hinata Hyuuga, Michiru Nogami, and... Naruto Uzumaki."

"Eighth Genin Team, instructed by Kurenai Yuuhi. My picks are Momiji Inubashiri, Shino Aburame, and Kiba Inuzuka," Kurenai told her choices.

"Hmm, well-made choices, Kurenai," the Hokage commented, "Oh, and Eino… are you sure you want to take both Naruto and Michiru on your team? Those kids are pretty hard to handle, not to mention our tradition of placing the first and last students on the list in the same team to balance them out."

"I'll consider that as an in-house training challenge, sir," Eino replied the elder with a smile.

"I concur to Eino's decision, sir," Kurenai added, trying to vouch for the silver-braided man, "Naruto and Michiru can work quite well together, and together their cheerfulness might draw out Hinata's true potential."

"If that is what you two say, then. Eino, I would want written progress report every week," the wizened elder said after sighing. "How about you two, then? Asuma, Kakashi?"

"Well then, for the Tenth Genin Team, I think I'll just pick the Ino-Shika-Chou juniors," Asuma voiced his choice, "Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, and Chouji Akimichi."

"That leaves the Seventh Genin Team with yours truly in charge, eh… Guess I'll take the rest of the list," Kakashi commented, "Let's see here… Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, and… Tenshi Hinanai. Hmm, I actually got the best candidates for this…"

"Okay. I had it all down, and that leaves me to break the news to the genin," Iruka concluded.

*.*

The morning had always carried a little less color in Hinata Hyuuga's fairly spartan room. With a slight hesitation, the eldest female scion of the main branch Hyuuga pulled her body upwards. Another huff, and the scion readied himself for the big day that is today. Today is the genin graduation day and announcement for the team.

With slow and gauged steps, the young scion made her way to the bathroom. She relieved herself, while idly thinking of who she will be with in her team. Her family's kekkei genkai, Byakugan, makes it quite clear to her that she will be teamed with other recon specialists. Of course, Hinata would never know what fate had in store for her today.

After dressing herself in her everyday clothes, Hinata walked in ease to the common dining hall. The time was nearing seven, and her father most likely had finished his morning exercises and was waiting in there.

"Good morning, child," the stern, almost-emotionless voice of Hiashi Hyuuga greeted the daughter as she entered the dining room.

"And a good morning for you too, Father," Hinata warmly returned the greeting.

"You seem… expectant today, Hinata," Hiashi said rather flatly as he took the chopsticks, setting it on his hands in a fluid motion.

"Yes Father, in the matter of fact I am," Hinata replied with gauged tones. "Today is the announcement for the genin team placement."

"Ah, it figures," the older clan-leader remarked as he surveyed the dishes for that morning's breakfast: lightly-roasted river trout complemented with generous daikon shavings, cucumber pickles, and misoshiru.

A moment of silence ensued as Hiashi gauged her daughter, who is sitting neatly just across him.

"Although you are not as talented as your sister, Hinata, it is of my grounded belief that you will make a ninja at least worthy in upholding our family name," Hiashi spoke with an impeccably flat, yet slightly condescending, tone.

"I strove to fulfill your wishes, Father," Hinata replied, cautious of the scorn in her father's word.

"Let us eat, then," Hiashi concluded the exchange of words.

*.*

It was halfway after seven strokes of the clock when Hinata arrived at the class. Some morning birds already showed up for the last class of their life before genin. Her light steps quickly took her to her preferred place, the middle seat of the sixth row from the bottom.

Although force of habit drew Hinata to come early today, the class was not going to start until nine. She idly sat about, watching some children she knew ambling over, quickly mingling with their social groups. She recognized a maiden clad in black pants, bowler hat with a peach insignia, and white long-sleeved shirt to be Tenshi Hinanai, the heir of the Koken school of kenjutsu and class belle. _Tenshi even carries a more aristocratic air around her compared to my own,_ Hinata mused dejectedly.

Not too far to the left of Tenshi, sat a girl with eye and hair coloration mirroring Hinata's: her short hair was almost bone-white with a tinge of silver, but her eyes are black. The girl had a large dao resting on her table, and by Hinata's recollection her shield should be laying somewhere nearby. Momiji Inubashiri, the white-haired girl, was a practitioner of the rival style kenjutsu of Koken, a sword-and-shield style called Tenchigen. The white-haired girl has been trying to be just to everyone, a fact that Hinata rather liked if not because of the girl's bluntness.

"Atai teba~ Saikyou darou~ Atai Chiru no destiny~"

Hinata perked up as she heard the somewhat-familiar off-tune song. It belongs to a girl in blue dress bordered by a pattern of white triangles. Her name is Michiru Nogami, reputed to be the class' second biggest idiot, only losing by a slim margin to the number one. Hinata has always been somewhat awed by her ability to shrug off the many indirect insults driven to her by the other girls.

"Okay you gossip guys, get in, we're announcing your teams, chop chop chop!"

Hinata reflexively glanced to the wall clock to confirm the time, upon hearing their homeroom teacher Iruka Umino outside the door. It showed that it was almost nine, prompting Hinata to muse about how fast the flow of time goes by when one does not pay attention. A rush of boys quickly filled the remaining seats, including one orange-clad boy, whom she had admired.

"Alright, people. This is it, the big day for you genin aspirants, because today I will announce the placement result for the teams," Iruka announced as the commotion died down. "The only people who are called are those who pass the test yesterday, and those who are didn't get called, well, good luck next semester. Once called, the chosen people must report to the room next door to receive their official, sanctioned hitai-ite. Are we clear on this?"

A resounding "yes" filled the room, then it gradually was silent again. Hinata could only hold her breath in anticipation. She was certain she would pass, but she had heard some whispers that the object of her affection would not.

"Jeez, you people are unexpectedly calm today," the pre-genin teacher mused.

As the names are read out by Iruka, the ranks in the 60-strong classroom begin to thin. While excited for their own prospects, the remaining children in the class were quite sure that the teachers are saving the best teams for last. The departing children were sent off with some measure of respect, as well as gasps.

"Alright, this is for Team Seven, who will be instructed by Hatake Kakashi-san. Tenshi Hinanai, Sasuke Uchiha, and Sakura Haruno, please report to the next room…"Iruka iterated as he read from his paper, as if confirming his pupils' suspicion.

There were some fierce snickerings and not-so-secret whispers accompanying the departure of the two top-of-the-class prodigies and an average genin. It was no big secret that Sakura is head-over-heels over Sasuke, but the presence of Tenshi with her beauty and refinement presents a great challenge to the girl with strawberry-red hair color. Hinata's thought wandered to that time once, when she had witnessed a slight perturbation in Sasuke's chakra flow when the cold boy faced off with the aloof girl in a mock battle…

"Clam it down folks, you people could still hope for the next nine spots in the three teams," Iruka said as he got back to his list, "Now for Team Eight, who will find themselves under the tutelage of miss Kurenai Yuuhi-san. Shino Aburame, Kiba Inuzuka, and Momiji Inubashiri, please report to the next room."

Hinata's heart sank a bit when she knew that she would not be tutored by Kurenai-sensei. She has always been Hinata's favorite, not to mention she had a degree of kindness and affection that appealed to Hinata. However, a glimmer of hope remained, as Hinata could still hope to be teamed with the orange-clad boy…

"Next we come to Team Nine, who will be tutored by Eino Yagokoro-san…" Iruka reads on, "the members will be Hinata Hyuuga, Michiru Nogami, and… Naruto Uzumaki."

The class fell into utter silence upon knowing that the class' two biggest idiots and the Hyuuga cast-away are thrown into the same team. However, Hinata's heart was in the greatest uproar in her life.

*.*

The class concluded a little over halfway to twelve, so the normally-training youths are free to go. Hinata took her usual spot on a bench in the academy's grounds, letting the world pass by and marveling at her new hitai-ite. The steel padding, etched with an engraving of Konohagakure's leaf insignia, glinted on the mild midday sun.

The hitai-ite is a kind of head protector, mostly made from durable linen cloth combined with a moderately-thick steel plate bolted on the middle of the length of cloth. Its use has dwindled much from its beginnings, and now they mainly serve as identification markings for ninjas of the surrounding countries. Hinata slowly rubbed the cloth tail of her hitai-ite on the steel padding, still somewhat unbelieving of today's fortunate events happening on her.

"Hellooo~!"

The sudden spike in voice volume and a pat on her back surprised the timid Hinata. Her hands went astray as she unknowingly flung her own hitai-ite to the air.

"Kyah!"

Instinctively, Hinata took a stab on grabbing her hitai-ite, but it chose to fall on her assailant's hands. The pale-haired girl dressed in blue quickly extended her hand towards Hinata in a kind gesture.

"So sorry to startle you, Hinata-san~" Michiru said quickly.

"Ah… No, no need to apologize really, Mi-Michiru-chan…" Hinata falteringly responded as she received the hitai-ite from Michiru, "Here… have a seat…"

"Ah, yeah… thanks," Michiru chimed happily as she sat beside Hinata, "I wonder how our sensei would teach us."

"Yes, I am curious too," Hinata reiterated her new team-mate, "I had heard that Yagokoro-sensei usually works abroad, so he is rarely seen in the village. One of the branch family Hyuuga is his acquaintance."

"Wow, you sure know much, Hinata-san~" Michiru complimented, "I don't even know half of the team supervisors…"

"Ah, N-no! Not at all… Shinju-san mentioned him a good few times, that's all…" Hinata quickly corrected Michiru's assumptions, "and please, Hinata-chan is okay for me…"

"Okay then, Hinata-chan it is," Michiru idly noted as she brought her eyes up to challenge the sun. "Ooh, such a fine day…"

A few minutes of silence ensued as the two girls just sat idly beside each other with their own thoughts. After that few minutes, Michiru conjured a small spiky ice crystal and fiddled around with it to pass the time. Hinata was a bit too nervous to start a talk with her new team-mate, but after a few seconds she found herself staring at the form of ice the pale-haired girl had conjured.

"Pretty, isn't it?" Michiru mused, "It's my kekkei genkai, Fuyukaze. My father had said that I'm still too little to freeze bigger things though…best thing I could do is frog-sized things."

"A-… yes, Michiru-chan, i-it's quite pretty," Hinata commented.

"A lot of people from the class say I suck even with this kekkei genkai," Michiru added. "It sure makes me wonder why we get to be a team. To top it off, we get to be with the so-called biggest idiot of Konoha…"

Hinata froze up. She realized that she is in a similar position with the ice-wielder. Most of the Hyuuga family held her cousin, Neji Hyuuga, and her sister, Hanabi Hyuuga, on the highest regard due to their excellent Jyuuken and Byakugan ability. She also knew how bad the townsfolk treat Naruto, for reasons she couldn't quite understand aside of his mostly harmless, albeit annoying, pranks.

"I-I'm sure… the teachers had other reasons…" the Hyuuga scion meekly replied.

"Well, might as well make the most of it," the ice-wielder exclaimed as she got up. "Not that I'd enjoy a team experience with those stuck-up bastards… Speaking of Naruto, let's grab some lunch together at his favorite place, Ichiraku-ya! It's good for team bonding, team bonding!"

"Ah-… but…" Hinata meekly protested as Michiru pulled at her hands, forcing her to stand up, "I- I brought my own bento…"

"No matter, Teuchi-jiji usually lets you bring outside food if you buy something from him," Michiru added without skipping a beat, "Let's go, let's go!"

*.*

When they arrived at Ichiraku-ya, the lunch rush had much abated, although it left them with no seats to spare. Michiru immediately scoured the establishment for Naruto, meeting some people's gazing at her condescendingly. Hinata, on the other hand, seemed to shrink under the gaze of so many eyes, and her grip on Michiru's hand tightens slightly.

"Oe, Michiru-chan! Here, here!"

"There you are, man!"

Unconsciously, Hinata followed her new team-mate's footsteps, bringing her to Naruto's empty table. She winced for a bit, knowing that everybody but her and Michiru was giving Naruto a wide berth. The loneliness was familiar, but by all means not welcome even for a shunned girl like Hinata.

"Kami be damned, Naruto! Let me guess, fifth helping?" Michiru playfully asked.

"Already well into the seventh, Icegirl~" the kitsune jailer replied, before unleashing a nasty burp that made Hinata wince.

"GAH! I hate it when you do that!" Michiru grunted, before turning to Hinata, "Oh well, might as well order myself some food, then… What can I get you, Hinata-chan?"

"Kyah!" Hinata yelped a bit as Michiru tapped her shoulder, "Unhn… well, could you… get me some milk, Michiru-chan?"

"Okay, Just be seated for a bit… won't be long," the Nogami girl concluded.

"Oi Michiru-chan! Get me another Kitsune Ramen!" shouted Naruto behind Michiru's back. Michiru only grunted an affirmative while making her way to the counter.

"Oh, hello Hinata-chan!" Naruto greeted sheepishly, as if just remembering that Hinata was there all along, "So I think we are to be team-mates from here on…"

"Ye-yes…" Hinata stuttered as she put her neatly-wrapped bento box on the table, "Please take care of me gently…"

"Uh… er, yes, of course, Hinata-chan! We team-mates must guard each other's backs!" Naruto exclaimed to quell a certain wrongness welling inside the pit of his stomach. However, soon they descended back into an uneasy silence.

"Order's here~" Michiru broke the uneasy silence as she put a tray on Naruto's table, "One tall glass of milk for Hinata-chan, one kitsune ramen for Naruto-baka, and my own Tonkatsu Ramen. Itadakimasu~"

The relative silence lasted for a full seventeen minutes, until Hinata finally broke it down.

"F-friends… at what time… are we supposed to meet the sensei?"

"Half to two or something around that league, I guess," Naruto said without a care in the world.

"Er… Na-naruto-kun… but isn't it like… half an hour from now…?" Hinata meekly remarked.

"Well, we'll wrap this up quickly enough," Michiru said as she wiped her lips with a tissue, "C'mon, you hog! Finish that morsel and pay up!"

"I'm hurt, Michiru-chan~" Naruto whined in reaction of that mock insult.

* * *

Author's Note:

Well then, since i think this story had endured enough pre-viewing, I thought its time to feed the carnivores :D

For you people not familiar with Touhou characters, you are advised to go and see the wonderful TouhouWiki at Wikia. They detail the abilities of many Touhou characters there, including the three most apparent here (Eirin Yagokoro, Momiji Inubashiri, and Tenshi Hinanai).

A great shout-out to my first beta, Erendhyl, and her great skills in grammar-correcting. Also, a good one for the fic which inspired this little romp of mine, Team 8 by S'TarKan. No, i'm not trying to rip you off on this one, oh great writer S'TarKan... yours merely gave me the impetus to do mine. Lastly... a small mention for the people down Shrinemaiden and Infantrum forums for their pushes, cold shoulders, and in case for guys down Shrinemaiden, some healthy skepticism (partly because many NaruTouhou crosses are popping out lately, i guess).

Additional Note:

A small bit of continuity fix, since I apparently forgot the fact that there are more than three genin teams at the beginning of Naruto (the most widely-known was teams 7, 8, and 10). Don't bite me, I'm no Naruto expert!


	2. Penalty Kicks

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and Touhou.

Read, enjoy, and gimme feedback, folks!

* * *

Team ⑨

Chapter 2: Penalty Kicks

By the time they got to the soccer field, their jounin teacher had already been there, idly waiting garbed in a football jersey and baggy shorts. A bin full of soccer balls sat near the sensei, while he idly juggled a ball.

"Oh ho, so these are the faces of the Ninth Genin Team, eh?" the silver-haired sensei exclaimed in a way that even the spirited duo of Naruto and Michiru was slightly taken aback by the sensei's enthusiasm, "Let's sit there first, okay?"

The four of them then settled down on the substitute's bench.

"Well, to get things going, let me re-introduce myself," Eino said in a friendly tone. "I am Eino Yagokoro, the jounin in charge of instructing Team Nine. My specialty is long-range recon and skirmish, but I also have a good grasp in disguise and camouflage. You may call me Eino-sensei or Yagokoro-san. My hobbies are soccer, good food, and hunting small game. I like hard work, perseverance, and patience, while I disdain selfishness and people who has double standards. We will be together as a team in sickness and health, in hardships and happy times, until death do us part! OK, now you all know who I am, I want to know you better. Starting with… you."

"Aah! Eh… ee… wawa…" Hinata stuttered as the instructor pointed to her. "M-my name is Hinata Hyuuga… I have the B-Byakugan… I can see chakra coils and all that… so I guess it's my specialty. My hobby is… meditation, practice… and… watching Naruto-kun. I like onigiri with umeboshi, Naruto-… wait, n-no! I-I mean it's natto! I… don't like… mean people. T-that's all…"

"Okay, that's good, Hinata. Really nice to have you aboard. Who's next?" Eino said reassuringly to Hinata, who is now blushing redder than a boiled crab's shell.

"Me, sir!" Michiru seized the moment. "My name is Michiru Nogami, twelve years old! My special ability is Fuyukaze, which could be used to make ice cubes or projectiles! My hobby is making epic pranks and having a good time! I like to play pranks, and I don't like people without sense of humor!"

"Spirited; I like that," Eino commented kindly. "Welcome to the team. Last up, the boy with the golden hair. Fire away!"

"The name's Naruto Uzumaki, Konoha's prank-master and future Hokage!" Naruto exclaimed loudly. "I don't have much of a special ability or something, but I can make great traps from everyday items! My hobby is pranking, of course, and also eating Ichiraku's fabulous Kitsune Ramen! I just love doing what I do best, and I don't like nothing!"

"Great, I could feel the spirit in this team!" Eino exclaimed. "Now, let's test your capabilities, shall we?"

"Yes, sir!" Michiru exclaimed.

"Okay then, first up, I want to see your abilities. Jutsu, taijutsu moves, kekkei genkai… anything, really. Starting from… you, Naruto," the jounin instructor commanded.

"Can I use any jutsu, sir?" Naruto asked as he got up.

"ANY jutsu, Naruto," the sensei emphasized.

"Well then… Kage Bunshin no jutsu!"

The air shimmered as the chakra constructs came to life, popping in various parts of the football field. They started to do random chatter with themselves, forming groups of three to five, discussing various events like the weather or Ichiraku's broth.

"Impressive. If you could create 25, we can entertain ourselves with some Naruto versus Naruto soccer match complete with the referee and linesmen," the teacher commented, smiling. "Can you?"

"I can! Eh… let's see now…" Naruto replied, obviously losing track of his own clones.

"Ahahahahah!" Eino laughed heartily while patting Naruto's back, seeing the boy eager to outdo people in his forte. "Doesn't matter, you've impressed me already! Dismiss them now. Now… Hinata, perhaps?"

"Y-yes, sensei!" the Hyuuga girl said while perking up.

Hinata then stood up, and lapsed into a kata stance. With an exhalation, veins started to pop up around her temples, indicating that her Byakugan eye is activated.

"First Chapter, Senbon Zakura."

With that utterance, Hinata exploded into motion, much too fast for the untrained eye. Hinata whipped up a flurry of seemingly-unrelated motions with her everchanging palm, sometimes a jabbing finger, other times a chop, often enough a fist. The dizzying speed had been the result of a few years' rough Jyuken training, which emphasized more on speed than power.

"Second Chapter, Sanzu no Kawa."

As she said the words, Hinata's movement slowed almost to a halt. Her blinding-fast movement in the first chapter is replaced with series of flowing motions, closer to a dance than taijutsu blows. Her palm form would change in a flowing manner also, with the transition from form to form almost in an endless motion.

"Third Chapter, Yama Arashi."

With the words, Hinata's movement pattern changed anew, this time into full, broken arcs around her body akin to the cutting and stabbing motion of swords. Her palm form was almost entirely composed from chops and fists, the transitions between forms abrupt. Gradually Hinata's flurry halted, bringing her back into her starting stance.

"I-I'm finished…" Hinata stuttered as Naruto and Michiru clapped. It was pretty obvious that they are thoroughly impressed by Hinata's taijutsu prowess.

"That was beautiful, Hinata. Thank you," Eino said as he patted Hinata's shoulder. Hinata normalized her breath gingerly, before flashing a meek smile.

"What manner of kata was that, actually?" The teacher asked on.

"I-it's a practice kata… sensei…" Hinata replied almost too quietly. "It's… designed to help a student master the right balance of speed and power required for Jyuuken techniques…"

"I see," Eino shortly commented. "Well then, the last, Michiru-chan? The honor's all yours."

"That makes me the dead last, eh?" Michiru commented as she got up.

"Last is not always least, Michiru-chan," the spirited teacher said. "Fire away!"

"Okay, sensei…" Michiru said as she activated her kekkei genkai, conjuring herself a snowball the size of her fist.

"Ouch! Hey, that's cold!" Naruto said as he felt the snowball's coldness on his head. Michiru had thrown that one right on his head.

"And this is for you, Hinata-chan~" Michiru said as she presented a simple flower made of ice to Hinata.

"Th-Thank you… So pretty… kyah! It's so cold!" Hinata shrieked.

"It's ice, duh…" Michiru commented morosely, before springing back into her usual smile to counteract for Hinata's crestfallen look.

"What have you got for your sensei, then?" Eino playfully said.

"This!" Michiru snapped as she threw a sharpened icicle towards the sensei. Eino dodged it handily, since it was not meant to hurt the sensei. "And that's all for my preferred ability, sensei. Fuyukaze."

"Oh wow, very nice!" Eino heartily commented. "I had heard of the kekkei genkai before, but i have not known its applications. Well then, it's also time for your second test."

"Second test?" Naruto said interestedly.

"Yes, and also your final test for the day. For this final test, I want you guys to do a penalty kick… you know, the kind you may see in soccer. You guys just kick the ball to the goal and score, while I will play keeper. You may use any form of chakra manipulation to place on you or your ball, but no genjutsu or ninjutsu. Also, you may not use other projectiles or dust to disguise the ball. If you want to kick the ball using taijutsu, it's fair enough. All of you get two shots of this," Eino said as he walked over to the goal. "The one who scored a goal will earn the team a nice dinner in any place they want!"

"I'll go first!" Naruto exclaimed as he walked with a soccer ball to the white dot. He lined up his shot carefully, considering his sensei's position and second-guessing his moves, before taking a distance for his shot. "I'll earn you guys a great all-you-can-eat ramen dinner at Ichiraku's!"

"NARUTO HOU!"

To his delight, the ball exploded in motion as it leaves his feet. However, Eino was no laughing matter as a goalkeeper. With trained agility and finesse, the silver-haired man tipped the ball just out of the goal.

"Whoa, an excellent kick indeed!" Eino commented with a smile. "I'm looking forward for the next one! C'mon!"

"One more time, sensei!" Naruto exclaimed. Eino kept his smile before making a hand gesture to the boy, taunting him to kick the ball at him.

"NARUTO KYANON!"

This time, the ball simply exploded as Naruto put all of his chakra into his right feet and kicked the ball. He even slipped and fell, earning a snicker from Michiru and a combo of smile and blush from Hinata.

"Sensei! You cheated on that ball! You made them explode before my feet even touched them!" Naruto complained aloud.

"Oh, but that is not the case. We could have Hinata check on this pile of balls if you aren't convinced," Eino said as he helped Naruto stand.

"But, Naruto-kun, the balls are all or-ordinary balls..." Hinata stuttered in her reply, "And Eino-sensei ba-barely mobilized any chakra during your turn..."

"Is that so..." Naruto grunted disappointedly as he sat cross-legged beside Hinata, "Rotten luck of mine then."

"I'm s-sorry... Naruto-kun..." Hinata replied, crestfallen.

"Naah, not your fault for explaining, Hinata-chan," Naruto said as he patted Hinata's shoulder. Hinata suddenly felt funny on the back of her nose.

"Well, do you want to know why your kick pulverized the ball, Naruto-kun?" Eino said as he crouched in front of the trio.

"Hell yeah!" Naruto exclaimed, full of curiosity.

"You pumped way too much chakra to strengthen your kick, my boy," Eino explained, "The ball could not handle the pressure generated by your chakra, and simply disintegrated as you follow up. You could have overloaded your chakra pathways by doing that, and render yourself crippled for months on end."

"Is that so..." Naruto commented. "Gah, it still does not make much sense to me! Ah well."

Eino just chuckled, noting how the boy tried digesting a bit of information. This boy could go places if he try... the teacher mused interestedly.

"Well, you still used your two kicks, so there. Okay you two, now that Naruto has failed in getting us the Ichiraku-ya Ramen treat," Eino followed up as he stood, "Who's going to take the next shot?"

"I'll nail Eino-sensei for you, Naruto-kun!" Michiru said as she stood up and took a ball from the nearby bin, "My power of COURAGE will kick you good, sensei!"

"Come at me then," Eino said playfully as Michiru lined up for her shot.

With a huff, Michiru kicked the ball towards the middle-left portion of the goal. Eino swiftly moved to block it, but about halfway to the goal, the ball changed direction. Lucky for the keeper, the length of his hand could still remedy the error of his judgment. Eino successfully slaps the ball, barely keeping it out of goal.

"Bellissimo, Michiru! You have a way with the ball!" Eino commented spiritedly, "One more shot! See if you could nail it this time!"

"Heh, let's see you slap THIS!" Michiru remarked as she shot her second cannonball, right to her teacher's head area. Realizing the power she had put in, Eino moved himself a bit and cleared the ball with his fist.

"Michiru-chan sugoi!" Naruto exclaimed loudly. Hinata only opened her mouth in disbelief.

"ARRRGH MAN!" Michiru shouted in exasperation as she plopped herself beside Hinata.

"You're... great, Michiru-chan..." Hinata tried to cheer her teammate up.

"Yeah, you're super, man!" Naruto added spiritedly. "What kind of cool jutsu is that? The ball just went left to right like genjutsu!"

"Naah, it's not a jutsu. It's just a neat trick my father told me," Michiru said while lying on her back. "Still isn't enough to nail it, though..."

"You're actually great, Michiru," the sensei once more commented. "There's no kid of your age, girl or boy, who has successfully fired a great banana shot on me like that. Where have you learned that?"

"Dad's a soccer nut to begin with," Michiru said while huffing away her fatigue, "He taught me the know-how..."

"I see. Well, that leaves us with our lovely Hinata, right?" Eino commented lightly as he eyed the groggy Hinata.

"Aah… wawa… Yes, sensei…"

Eino chuckled a bit seeing the uptown girl fidget about, getting tense on the nerves.

"Since you're looking a bit flustered, I'll just wait down the goal and let our two great kickers to share their secrets to you. Meet me up the goal when you're ready, OK?" the undercover expert Jounin said reassuringly as he goes to the goalpost.

"Aaa... er... f-friends...?" Hinata meekly squeaked as she turned to her team-mates. Her voice is a bit lower than usual.

"Don't worry Hinata-chan, with our combined genius, we'll nail him good!" Naruto adamantly exclaimed.

"Yeah, it's not like he could stretch his hand from post to post anyway," Michiru added. "I have a tip if you're interested, Hinata-chan."

"W-... what is that... Michiru-chan...?" Hinata expectantly said, suddenly brightening.

"You must shoot your ball to the upper left or right corner of the goal," Michiru said in a half-whispering voice. "It's tried and true... my old man said it's the best place to aim if you cannot trick the keeper."

"Oh... Okay... I'll try..." Hinata said pensively.

"You should also hit the ball as hard as you could, Hinata-chan! Full power may destroy the ball, but i'm sure three-fourth won't!" Naruto added, "Pump a good amount of chakra into your leg muscles!"

"Ye-yes... Naruto-kun!" Hinata said more resolutely.

"OK! Get the sensei good, Hinata-chan! Fight!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Go get'em, tiger!" Michiru cheered loudly as Hinata walked to her sensei.

"Feeling better?" Eino said softly as Hinata came to him, "You have made great friends already."

"Yes... sensei..." Hinata said more resolutely.

"Well then, let's see how hard this scion of Hyuuga can pound at my goal," the teacher said cheerily, "Give me a powerful one, Hinata!"

"Sensei, here I come!" Hinata exclaimed as she made the kick. She aimed for the high left corner, and also put three-fourth of her chakra into her kicking leg.

What happened next is a bit surreal for the Hyuuga family scion. She saw her sensei reacting to her shot appropriately, by leaping like a leopard towards the ball. Her horror wells because the ball seemed to move to her sensei's arm... Yet, the inevitable slap never came. Instead, it was a solid swoosh, a telltale sound from the ball hitting the net.

"No frickin' way..." Naruto exclaimed happily.

"She made it! She made it!" Michiru loudly bellowed.

"WE did it! AWESOME!" Naruto adds as he ran to congratulate his disbelieving team-mate.

All hell broke loose as the two Team 9 members broke to the field and caught Hinata in a group hug. Hinata were overwhelmed by the sheer joy of the moment, and finally gives in to her teammates' cheering.

"Great job, Hinata! Beautiful shot!" commented the sensei as he got up to the elated trio. "A well-earned feast for the three of you!"

"Yeah! Hinata-chan is our hero today!" Naruto said elatedly.

"Now, I'm sure we need to cool down a bit, so let's discuss why you two monster kickers failed where our little lady succeeded," Eino said as they settled down on the sidelines, "Any thoughts?"

"I kicked too hard, while Michiru-chan was too flashy with the shots!" Naruto immediately offered an explanation.

"Close, but no deal," Eino said while wiggling his finger. "Any other thoughts?"

"Te-teamwork...?" Hinata piped up meekly. "We-well... Michiru-chan and Naruto-kun was trying their shots... and they shared the results to me..."

"Ah-ha! Score one more for young Miss Hyuuga here!" Eino complemented the madly-blushing Hyuuga female scion. "But... it is merely half the truth. Bonus points for those who could nail the other half!"

"Ah... Experiments?" Michiru shared her opinion. "We both missed, though... so maybe ours are not that crucial anyway..."

"Quite the contrary there, Miss Nogami," Eino explained. "Suppose Naruto or even you succeeded, then we would not be lauding Hinata here! The key here is feedback. This is crucial for our line of duty as a team. Tomorrow I will explain that, and all about the most unique team this year, our one and only Team 9. Tonight though, it's time for celebration!"

"Yeah! I always looove eating!" Michiru said elatedly.

"Now, our esteemed princess Hyuuga, where shall we dine?" Eino proffered while mimicking a grand aristocratic gesture.

"Aaah... wawa... ee..." Hinata mumbled embarassedly, "I want to try that new... er... so-called fusion restaurant... aa... whatsitsname..."

"Aah, what fine choices do you have, esteemed princess!" Eino said with a grin, "The new Pia Carrot Café! A good coincidence that the proprietor is a friend of mine! Well then, let's freshen up and be a bit more presentable before hitting the cafe, shall we?"

"Yes sir!" the three genin said in unison.

*.*

"Welcome to Pia Carrot Café! Table for four, I presume?"

Naruto Uzumaki had never been to an eastern-styled diner before. He was quite surprised to find the café to be moderately filled, given the prejudice Konohagakure had given outside influences lately.

"Yes, please," Eino replied the waitress.

"Then please follow me," the waitress kindly said as she led Eino and the dumbfounded trio down to a table for four near the corner of the store. Swiftly after that, the waitress brought them four menus and distributed them.

"Oh wow," Naruto mused as he surveyed the menu. "They all look delicious…"

"I can't decide…" Michiru said pensively.

"Well, let Hyuuga-hime-sama call our shots tonight!" Eino called with a grand gesture, "Your orders, ohime-sama."

"Aah… ee… wawa…" Hinata stuttered, while she looked hard to the printed list, as if using Byakugan on the poor menu. "This… Karifoorunia Rooru… looks delicious…"

"Then so shall it be. Three servings of California Rolls please," Eino said quickly, of which the waitress quickly jotted down.

"Miss, what manner of drink is this Miruku… sheeki?" Naruto asked the alert waitress.

"It is a drink made from milk, soda, and ice cream, shaken to form a foamy, sweet, and tasty mixture." the waitress explained kindly, "would you want that, little mister?"

"Whoa, I don't know what this 'eye scream' is, but it sounds delicious… I'll have one!" Naruto said cheerily.

"Mi-Miss attendant… I- I would want one too…" Hinata quickly seized the moment.

"Make it three, Miss!" Michiru added. Hinata looked crestfallen, her prediction made true.

"I have it all down. What flavor would you want the ice cream to be? We have vanilla, strawberry, mint, and mocca," the waitress replied while jotting down the orders.

"Uhh… mint I guess," Naruto said.

"Mi-mint for me… too…" Hinata meekly exclaimed.

"Uhh… well… never tasted vanilla before, so I think I'll have that," Michiru finished off.

"You kids haven't ordered the main course, by the way. Let me order them for you," Eino reminded them gently. "I'll have Macchiato, and we'll also ordering… hmm… four portions of fish and potato please. You're taking ramen break tonight, Naruto-kun."

"Uhh… well, I believe in your order of food, sensei," the blonde ninja said unsurely.

"Yes sir," the waitress said with a smile. "Let me repeat your orders: three servings of California Rolls; three milkshakes, two mint and one vanilla; one Macchiato; and lastly, four servings of fish and potato. All correct?"

"I believe they are, Miss. Thank you!" Eino replied.

"Your orders will be delivered within fifteen minutes. Thank you for dining in Pia Carrot!" the waitress concluded as she took the menus and the order to the counter.

"Sensei, where's your friend?" Michiru curiously asked.

"Oh, she's the head chef and manager," Eino responded while chuckling. "And from the looks of it, she will serve us the food herself."

"Eh? Aren't those, like, the waitress' job in a restaurant like this?" Naruto said while scanning the premises. The pastel colors and adequate lighting conveyed a warm and friendly feeling to everyone. Naruto felt cozy already.

"Well, she owned the place, so I guess it's according to her whim," Eino said sheepishly.

"Hey, I heard that," a female voice chided Eino as a women dressed in white chef's garb brought them their order. "Boys and girls, here are your milkshakes… macchiato for our big boy here… and your California Rolls."

"Aheheheh…" the jounin chuckled sheepishly.

"Who are these children, Eino-kun?" the woman said playfully while grabbing a nearby chair to sit on, "Surely you haven't had three children under my nose, or have you?"

"They're my lovely and courageous genin apprentices, Makiko-san," Eino proudly said, "Kids, meet my friend, Makiko Koenji. Makiko, meet Naruto Uzumaki, Hinata Hyuuga, and Michiru Nogami. All of them are my talented pupils."

"It's nice to meet you all~" the straw-haired chef said cheerfully as she made a bow, "I am Makiko Koenji, chef extraordinaire and proprietor of this establishing, at your service. Welcome to Pia Carrot!"

Naruto, Michiru, and Hinata were stunned by the grandiose gesture, while Eino sipped quietly at his Macchiato, suppressing a slight giggle.

"Eheheh… er, nice to meet you too, Koenji-san…" Naruto said unsurely. "Ahahaha… shall we start eating then? No sense to let these cool down…"

"Yes…" Hinata said pensively.

A resounding "Itadakimasu!" was heard as the three genin started to pick on their rolls.

"WHOAH! It's great!" Naruto exclaimed rather loudly.

"Yeah, this is so delicious! This light saltiness… sweetness… simply superb! What are these made of, Koenji-san?" Michiru asked while turning to face the chef of the house.

"I combined fried tempura shrimp with boiled home-made kani sticks and lightly-fried fresh trout fillet, rolled into a maki, and sprinkled with a dash of pepper and fried tempura crumbs," Makiko said proudly. "The Roll has been a best-seller since day one, you know!"

Hinata, meanwhile, was silently crying as she chewed her way through the third piece of the roll. It was noticeably faster than Naruto and Michiru, especially given how hoggy can Naruto be when it comes to good food.

"What happened, Hinata?" Eino said as he quickly reached for a bundle of tissues provided as he eyed Hinata crying.

"The… t-tears… i-it won't s-stop, sensei…" Hinata muttered haltingly while she chewed her mouthful of California Roll and gulped it down with a little difficulty. "I-it w-won't…"

"Shush now…" Makiko cooed as the woman hugged the girl, having already beaten Eino to comforting Hinata. "The rolls are good, are they? Do they give you a warm feeling inside?"

"Ye- yes…" Hinata answered between sobs.

"Then, that warm feeling is my love to you," the chef explained, patting Hinata's head, "please, savor the feeling of being loved."

"Hinata-chan…" Naruto mumbled, unsure of what to say.

"Th-thank you… thank… y-you…" Hinata mumbled in tears, burying her head on Makiko's ample bosom while still chewing rolls in her mouth. It takes a full three minutes for Hinata to recover from her early love-love shock, much to Naruto's envy and Michiru's sheepish smile.

"Hmm, the fish should be ready by now. Are you okay now, Hyuuga-chan?" Makiko asked the calmed Hinata.

"Ye-… yes…" Hinata nervously responded.

"Great. I'll bring in the main course in a jiffy," the yellow-haired chef said as she got up, "Don't hesitate to cry some more if you feel the love!"

*.*

The Hyuuga main family heiress made her way past the guards, weary of what was called love by the chef. She was overwhelmed, but also warm. With a thud on her bedsheets, she let the kami of dreams take her body over.

In silence, however, the pair of eyes belonging to Hiashi Hyuuga quietly witnessed his daughter's slumber. He has never seen Hinata openly cry in recent times, let alone outside the Hyuuga family compound. If he remembered well, the last time she truly cried was a few years ago…

*.*

_In that hospital examination room, a girl cried loudly... As if wanting to break her tiny, frail lungs...  
_

_"WHY? WHY, KAMI-SAMA, WHYYY?"_

_Yet the Gods would not answer.  
_

_In silence, Hiashi Hyuuga observed.  
_

* * *

Author's notes:

Back again with W. Nightpen and his little romp of his, Team Nine(balls). A great shout-out to my first beta Erendhyl... and the commentator beta just joining the fray, my good man Megaolix! I simply can't believe how fast we three worked ^^;; I hope for a great synergy for the upcoming chapters! Also for people who had read this one... Thanks for reading. Really.

*.*

Chapter names from Hinata's kata:

Senbon Zakura = A Thousand Sakura Trees

Sanzu no Kawa = River Sanzu, the Japanese equivalent of River Styx

Yama Arashi = Mountain Gale

*.*

Miscellany:

Bellissimo = Beautiful (Italian)

*.*

A little geographical note:

Pia Carrot Cafe, as some of you may know already, is a fictional western cafe from the hit game series, _Pia Carrot e Youkoso!_. So, why should I say it to be 'eastern' in this fic? Thing is, what Konoha citizens would refer as the "West" are probably either Land of Earth, Land of Wind, or both. They still feel distinctly "Eastern" (Middle-Eastern to be precise) to me, so i'd thought of placing the true "Western" environment waaaay beyond the Land of Water. If you'd see carefully at the wikipedia map (there's one in the "World of Naruto" article), there are two peninsula east of the Land of Water archipelago, an indication of a larger landmass just beyond that. This will be elaborated more as the fic progresses, but for now... those are what you'll need to know.

*.*

Useless omake:

_"Now, our esteemed Queen Hyuuga, where shall we dine?" Eino proffered, a grand aristocratic gesture of respect accompanying his words._

_Hinata was contemplative, but soon set her choice with fierce resolution._

_"Tonight... WE DINE IN HELL!"_


	3. Stratagems

Chapter 3: Stratagems

* * *

It seemed that the sunrise is unknown in Naruto's room, for practical reasons: his mansion faced the west. Not quite an inconvenience in itself, it seemed. Naruto woke up today, also not feeling the warm sun and its first rays warming the world.

The yellow-haired boy lazily walked to the sink and washed his face, all while thinking what he could get from Ichiraku's at lunch. With another yawn, the yellow-haired boy climbed into his standard garb, the orange jacket and all.

"Ooooh~ Raaa~men~ Sooo tenderr…" Naruto mumbled a tuneless song as he poured water into a small pot. His stash of instant favorite breakfast was dwindling, and the shipment of the most-coveted exotic instant ramen brand Indo-Men has not came, so the Hokage said. After all, both were ramen aficionados. After almost an hour cooking and eating, finally, the Kyuubi jailer steped outside, ready for his day.

"Morning, Ramen-maaaan~~" Michiru greeted, half-asleep, as she ran into Naruto on an intersection near Naruto's mansion. Unsurprising, since they lived close by.

"Still half-asleep, Michiru-chan?" Naruto greeted.

"Kindaw~" Michiru said sleepily. "Slept a lot later than ushwal~"

"Ah well. Being in the same team with my best friends sure felt like living a dream to me…" Naruto quickly dismissed. "Let's do our best today!"

"Hoowwaaaayy~" Michiru half-groaned in her reply.

…

"Hello! Spirited in the morning, eh?" Eino greeted the three pupils as the trio entered the football field from yesterday. The sensei had told them the meeting place after yesterday's dinner.

"Ready for training, sir!" Naruto enthusiastically replied.

"M-Morning… sensei…" Hinata greeted

"I'm still sleepyyyy~ senseeeyy~" Michiru moaned. "Give me a pillooooww~ I'll just plop downn~"

"OK then, let's jog a few laps around the track to wash away the sleepiness! No running, kids, just a jog," Eino commanded, all with a smug smile on his face.

"R-right… sensei!" Hinata replied as she started the jog, right behind his sensei. Naruto followed, and last goes Michiru. After a lap, the sensei slowed his pace down, letting Hinata and Naruto lead the pack.

"Na-na-naruto-kun…" Hinata meekly asked as they rounded the first bend of the lap. "I-is… Michiru-chan always… l-like this?"

"Well… now that you mention it…" Naruto mused as he continued jogging. "She was not quite the early bird to begin with…"

"FIRE!" Eino shouted suddenly, surprising Naruto and Hinata. Yet, there was another person more surprised than them.

"FA-FA-FA-FA-FAIAAAAAA!"

By this point, Michiru bolted from her last-place sleepy trot to a speed that would probably shame Tyson Gay. She looked like she would run for the gold, clearing an entire lap much quicker than Hinata thought she herself could… and still running. Of course, in the midst of Naruto's sheepish disbelief and Hinata's utter amazement, a laugh rang out from the perpetrator teacher.

Uh, wait a second… who's that Tyson guy anyway? Isn't he supposed to be in America or something? No matter.

…

"Atchoo!"

"What's the matter, Guy-sensei?"

"Nothing! It seems to me that my springtime of youth actually touched someone far away! They are talking of me!"

…

"Na-naruto…-kun… our wr-…"

"Don't say it, Hinata-chan… I know already… He's evil…"

Suddenly, a realization dawned on Hinata's mind. She and Naruto were on the same wavelength. Naruto could read her now. Her feelings would be…

"H-haaaa…"

With that sigh of happiness, the main family Hyuuga lost a member in a spectacular fountain of nosebleed. Well, if only temporarily.

…

"Came to, ohime-sama?"

The Hyuuga's heiress blinked her eyes a few times as she felt her head resting on a cushion softer than wood or earth, but firmer than down or cotton.

"Uhhh… sen… sei?"

"Yes, that I am…" the thirty-something-looking jounin replied softly. "Felt better?"

"So-somewhat…"

"Has Hinata-chan come to, sensei….?" The worried sound is uncharacteristic of Michiru, but it's her nonetheless.

"Man… I hope nothing is wrong this time…" Naruto voiced his concern.

"I guess ohime-sama here has felt better," Eino wrapped up as he propped Hinata up to a sitting position. "Let's start the team briefing now, since Hinata is awake."

"Ah… Y-yes… sensei…" Hinata groggily answered.

"Well then, Welcome to Team 9, the one and only… yet, sniper team of Konoha," Eino said with a smile. "We will be specializing in long-range scouting, support, and hidden assassination roles… well, although the last function will not be carried out until you are all of age."

"That sounds…kind of cool…" Naruto responded pensively. "Though all those taijutsu drills we have in the academy will be wasted I guess…"

"Nothing from the academy will be wasted, Naruto-kun," Eino explained. "Taijutsu builds your speed and chakra reserves, and it is needed for many jutsu crucial for our line of duty. And if you're found, taijutsu can save the folks back at Konoha administration a lot of pain… if you managed to kick your captor's ass."

"Eheheh, I guess you're right, Eino-sensei…" Naruto said sheepishly as he realized. "But it's still not very cool!"

"But… Sniper Team Nine… that sounds catchy, you know," Michiru said interestedly.

"Well then, to achieve that goal, the three of you need to learn a multitude of things, either with me or on your own," The teacher stated seriously. "In the end, you will probably learn more than your class-mates, and I am quite sure that you have the juice to do that. It will be an uphill climb, but I will be with you along the way. I will now tell you people what your team role is."

"Heh heh heh… I'm sure I'll be the cool guy!" Michiru said while clenching her fists.

"Michiru-chan, you will be the sniper in our team. I expect you to take out our enemies with masterful shots from a wide distance away," Eino explained the role. "I chose you because of your kekkei genkai, your competitive drive, and your propensity to use it. You'll be the heart of the team, and I'm expecting you to put your heart into it, you understand?"

"Yessir!" Michiru said enthusiastically.

"However, our sniper cannot work if she cannot see her enemies, is it not? This is where Hinata-chan and her Byakugan come into play. Hinata-chan, I am putting you in charge as a Spotter," Eino continued. "Your job is to maximize your Byakugan and scouting abilities, because you are the one who will scout the mission area and relay the information to the team. We are talking distances greater than a hundred yards here, so be aware. I won't tolerate mistakes in a mission. You are the eye of the team, and you will do it to the utmost limit of your Byakugan. Are we clear on this?"

"Y-…yes, Eino-sensei!" Hinata replied a bit more resolutely. "I will not f-fail th-the team!"

"So… what are my roles then, sensei?" Naruto asked, still enthusiastic.

"You are to be the Commando, Naruto-kun. I will not tolerate Michiru-kun shooting at any distance shorter than fifty yards, and that's where the Commando comes in," Eino stated seriously. "You are to engage and neutralize enemies who had broken into the 50-yard perimeter, and for that I expect you to fight hard, fight determined, and, should the need arise, fight dirty. Other than that, I entrust the general safety of the team to you. Is that understandable?"

"All right, sensei!" Naruto said as he clenched his fists. "You can count the clobberin' on me!"

"More important than your intended roles, my children, is for all of you to behave and function as a team," the jounin addressed, his seriousness filling the air thickly. "A sniper and commando without a spotter can do nothing for their role; the sniper and spotter without the commando are sitting ducks. I expect the three of you to stick together, look out for each other, and never to let your emotions go at each other. No matter what, no matter when, no matter how, I want you guys believe in each other. Do I make myself clear on that?"

"Yes sir!" Naruto and Michiru shouted their response, while Hinata almost imperceptibly nods.

"Well then, as for today, we will be having medical examination and check-up," the sensei said cheerfully. "And after that, all of you are going to the library to do some essay as I discuss the result of your examination."

"Uhh… se-sensei….?" Hinata meekly piped up. "I-is the examination… going to use n-n-needles and such…?"

"Well, I guess that's for you guys to find out…" Eino said mysteriously. "Although it's on my word that she will never, ever, ever want to harm any of you."

"Uhhh… now that you said that… it's not very reassuring, sensei…" Naruto morosely commented.

"Well anyway~ the time of appointment with our doctor is nearing, so it's better for us to move!" Eino cheerfully goaded as he stood. "Let's go! Chop, chop, chop!"

…

Their trip to Konoha Central Hospital was rather uneventful, and before they knew it, they had stood in front of the reception desk.

"How may I help you, sir?" the young nurse greeted as Eino peered over.

"Yes, ma'am… we are supposed to have an appointment with doctor Yagokoro at nine…" Eino said quickly. "We're the Ninth Genin Team from the Ninja Academy…"

"Let me just check the guestbook… hmmm…" the nurse hummed for a bit. "Ah, yes. I believe it's in order. You are to proceed to the Research Building, second floor, room 101."

"Thank you, miss!" the jounin quickly addressed.

"Sir… you just said that we'll be examined by a certain Dr. Yagokoro…" Michiru remarked as they walked double-file, with Naruto and Eino leading, towards the research building. "By any chance, is this doctor your relative, sensei?"

"Well, yes," Eino answered. "In fact, she's my twin sister."

"Wha- that's cool, sensei!" Naruto said enthusiastically. "Does she look identical to you, as in people can't tell both of you apart?"

"Of course, Naruto," the sensei cheerily replied. "Well, less so since she had a generous rack and all, but I can say that we do look quite similar."

"She must be verry sexy~ I can't wait to meet her!" Naruto exclaimed, sending perverted vibes into the air.

"N-Naruto-kun…" Hinata muttered, crestfallen. "…likes big-breasted women… does he…?"

"Ah, don't worry Hinata-chan!" Michiru replied while patting the other girl's shoulder. "We may be flat now, but we still have room and time to grow! Besides, some boys liked it flat, from what I heard…"

"Urrgghhh… I just hate it when girls start to talk too freely like this…" Naruto grunted as Eino chuckled. Both were paying attention to the girl-talk behind them, it appeared.

…

"Onee-saaan~ are you in? It's Eino, I brought the kids…" Eino said as he knocked the door to examination room 101.

"Come in, Einocchi~" came the reply from the other side of the door.

Eino opened the door, and a bespectacled woman dressed in a short skirt and dress suit combination greeted them. Her lab coat was hung on a hanger nearby, while the desk was strewn about by paperwork. Her features are strikingly similar to Eino, down to her long, braided silver hair, although she is a good inch or two shorter than his twin brother. The fact about the rack, as Naruto and Hinata had duly noted during the earlier conversation, was also proven to be true. By eye, Hinata guessed that the twin mountain's size are in the league of melons, amply surpassing Kurenai-sensei's size. Comparing the doctor's Himalaya to Hinata's own backyard hill wouldn't end well.

"Ah… so these are the kids you had mentioned…" the silver-haired lady said tenderly. "Allow me to introduce myself. I'm doctor Eirin Yagokoro, head of R&D department of Konoha Central Hospital. I will monitor your physical progress and well-being, at the interest of my sweet little brother here and also Sandaime Hokage-sama. Today I would like to do a general check-up and profiling to get a good gist of how your bodies work."

"Y-yes…" Naruto subconsciously mumbled.

"Now, I would like to start the examination. You, the golden-haired boy who's busy ogling my breasts, I'll start from you," Eirin called with a mischevious smirk, snapping Naruto out of his boobies-induced stupor while Eino ushered the two girls to the hallway.

"Wha-… a-… e-… S-s-s-Sorry, Eirin-sensei! Sorry!" Naruto profusely apologized as he dropped down to his knees. "Anything but the needles! Anything!"

"I cannot blame you for admiring Mother Nature's fine and abundant gifts, golden boy," the doctor said, suppressing a giggle. "Your name for the files, please?"

"Na-naruto Uzumaki," Naruto quickly stuttered.

"Nanaruto Uzumaki… Should I call you Nana-kun?" Eirin teased as she took a clip-board with some blank forms on it. She quickly wrote Naruto's name on one of them.

"I-it's Naruto, really. Naruto Uzumaki," Naruto reiterated his name to the smirking doctor.

"I see… but Nana-kun is still a fitting nickname, no?" Eirin teased as she opened the curtain to an examination bed.

"But Eirin-sensei~!" Naruto pouted. He knew he would hate that nickname.

"Please take off your jacket and shirt, then lie on the bed. I have to check your lungs, heart, and stomach," the doctor ordered as she took the stethoscope from a drawer, an order to which Naruto quickly complied.

The doctor poked around Naruto's chest and abs for a few minutes, before settling the stethoscope over an artery and listening to Naruto's pulse. Sometimes the serious doctor peered over to her wristwatch, counting some things, before entering some data into the papers strapped on the clip-board.

"You have quite the fast metabolism here, Nana-kun…" the doctor remarked, "I bet you ate a lot and get hungry easily, eh?"

"Whoa, amazing, doctor!" Naruto enthusiastically replied. "How can you know that?"

"Oh, your heart rate gives it off… not to mention the peristalsis is quite fast on itself," the doctor stated with a warm smile. "I also don't feel much body fat on your person, although the calculations will prove that."

"…You lost me," Naruto morosely commented.

"Ahahahah, I'm skillful at misleading people with medical terms, too…" Eirin chuckled a bit, before taking out a few syringes from her drawer. "Time to draw some virgin blood… Nana-kun, if you please hold out your arm?"

"S-… sensei…" Naruto groggily remarked. "Can… we skip… y'know…"

"Well Naruto, it's either these or the bigger, longer marrow samplers," Eirin darkly muttered. "Aaah, yess… those bigger, longer apparatuses…"

"N-n-no, sensei! The syringes will be fine!" Naruto fearfullyreplied.

"There is a way to reduce the pain, though," Eirin said brightly, so bright it disturbed Naruto.

"Anything, sensei! Anything to lessen the painful needle!" Naruto quickly responded.

"Well then. Look at Mother Nature's gift whom she had bestowed upon me…" the sexy doctor half-whispered suggestively. "Look at them well, Nana-kun… Ahhh… their texture… their movement…"

Naruto did what he was told, and only a few second passed before his gaze became glazed. Eirin took her chance on Naruto's stupor and quickly draw the much-needed blood sample.

"Ok Naruto, that's enough for now… why don't you measure your weight and height by yourself and write the results on the white-board," Eirin stated as she finished the blood-drawing and stored Naruto's sample in the ice-filled tub just sitting on a corner table. "After that, get dressed, go out, and call my next patient in."

"Yes, sensei…" the stoned Naruto said as he put on his t-shirt and jacket.

…

"Next one please…" Naruto stated simply and flatly, earning a distressed look from Hinata and an amused one from Eino.

"Se-sensei… w-what did E-Eirin-san… did to Na-Naruto-kun…?" Hinata asked haltingly, obviously spooked by 'zombie' Naruto sitting beside her.

"Well, this happens if a guy stared at my sister's breasts for too long…" Eino said, obviously not his first time seeing such devastating effect of her sister's charms.

"Wh-…What frightening boobs…" Michiru commented while standing and dramatically taking a step back. "It even had the power enhancement equivalent of a strong genjutsu on them! Frightening… too frightening…"

"Not to worry, girls. It only worked on unrelated, hormone-loaded young men, so you girls have nothing at all to fear," Eino reassuringly said. "Besides, Naruto-kun would come to in a few minutes. Who wants to be next?"

"I-… I'll go!" Hinata resolutely stood up. "O-…only by… facing those brea-… no, I-I mean beasts!… I can w-win back… Naruto-kun!"

"Well then, go ahead Hinata-chan! Make your teacher proud and resist that wicked genjutsu, Hinata-chan!" Eino encouraged the young kunoichi-to-be as Hinata nodded and proudly marched into the examination room.

"Er… sensei…" Michiru piped up. "Will Hinata-chan be alright…?"

"We'll see, Michiru-chan," the jounin said lightly. "But I'm sure she'll be okay, being a main family Hyuuga and all…"

…

"Aha, the next patient… Please, have a seat while I jot down some things, Hyuuga-san," Eirin greeted as Hinata entered the examination room.

"Y-yes… Eirin-san…" Hinata said unsurely as she sat on the patient's chair.

"Now then, if you would state your name for the records…" Eirin lightly stated.

"I-it's… Hi-hinata. Hinata… Hyuuga," Hinata replied unsurely. "I-if i… may ask… E-eirin… san?"

"Ask away," the doctor said as she prepared her stethoscope.

"C-can't… you just… p-perform… examination jutsu… and such…?" Hinata offered. "I-it will… b-be faster…"

"I wish I can, Hinata-chan…" the doctor longingly responded. "I am not a ninja. My chakra reserves are probably much lower than what you have. Even if I learned the proper seals for that examination jutsu, I would never get it right… well, maybe not right away."

"Aa-ah! I-I'm sorry for ss-suggesting…!" Hinata fearfully replied, as if she had trespassed a forbidden boundary.

"There is nothing to be sorry about, Hinata-chan…" Eirin soothingly said. "Come on, let's get the examination underway. Please take off your jacket before lying on the examination bed."

"Eeeh?" Hinata meekly shrieked.

"You heard me, do you not?" the doctor playfully teased. "Please, before I make you…"

"Aah… ee… wawa…" Hinata stuttered, while reluctantly putting off her thick, light brown jacket. A few moments later, she lay on the bed and Eirin started her examination.

"Hmm…" Eirin hummed slightly as she noted Hinata's pulse. "You're wearing thick sarashi, aren'tyou Hinata-chan?"

"Ah… y-yes…" Hinata meekly piped up.

"Do you mind taking them off? I can't hear your pulse and breathing very well like that…" Eirin said softly.

"Aa… well… ee… wawa…" Hinata stuttered softly, unsure of what to say.

"Don't worry about eaves-droppers, Hinata-chan," Eirin assured the Hyuuga heiress. "I do take them… seriously. Very, very, seriously."

"Uu… yes… sensei…" Hinata reluctantly complied. A few minutes later, the Hyuuga heiress had undone her breasts' binding, and lied down again on the examination bed.

"Ah ha… I see you grew up very well indeed, Hinata-chan…" Eirin commented as she pokes around Hinata's chest looking for pulse and whatnot. "Hmm… somewhere around the high A's? I'd say lower to mid B, even…"

"E-e-eirin-san… whatever may th-that… mean?" Hinata groggily responded.

"It means you are eating well, exercising well, bathing well… you see, chest size is more nurture than nature, Hinata-chan…" the doctor explained seriously. "Unless a girl is well-nourished, well-loved, and well-provided, there is almost no way that their chest will grow well. Look at your size… even I was not this big yet when I was twelve. I bet a lot of girls are envious of your… generous natural trait."

"B-but… Otou-sama… always ordered… me to bind my chest… tightly…" Hinata half-whispered her reply. "I-I don't think… i-it will s-show…"

"Ooh, how cutely sweet your father is…" Eirin commented. "He is jealous of the ogling stares the guys give you!"

…

"Atchoo!"

"Hiashi-sama, are you ill?"

"No. It may have been merely a dust… our helpers must clean this room more thoroughly the next time around. Akira, get me the report on our clan's finance for the month."

"Very well, sir! Immediately!"

…

"B-but that…" Hinata meekly replied.

"He loved you so much, Hinata… be thankful of it," Eirin said as she checked her watch and measured her peristalsis and heartbeat rates.

"H-how… about y-yours… Eirin-san?" Hinata asked in a very low voice.

"Me? Well, let's just say that I'm lucky. Very, very, lucky," the doctor cheerfully remarked as she noted her findings. "The bond of love between the two of us is strong, and that's why Kami has blessed me with such a grand gift. They're double D's, should you want to know their exact measurements."

"D-d-d-double… D-D's?" Hinata stuttered in shock.

"More reason to praise the Kami, no?" Eirin said cheerfully as she prepared a syringe. "Now, let me take a blood sample…"

"No… I'm afraid… o-of needles…" Hinata said haltingly.

"How cute…" Eirin remarked, "You and Naruto-kun had the same phobia, you know."

"I-is that so…?" Hinata replied unsurely. She did saw Naruto begging not to be given the needle earlier on, but she was not sure.

"He managed to overcome his phobia with the help with a trick…" Eirin baited the young genin. "Surely the daughter of the mighty Hyuuga clan is stronger… no?"

"N-no… I'm not th-that… stro-strong…" Hinata reacted, shivering slightly.

"Then, this small gesture will help you to be stronger, if only by a bit…" Eirin pressed on her tactic. "I will help you be even stronger, but for that… I need your cooperation first."

"Well… let me… try… then…" Hinata reluctantly agreed.

"Good, that's a start. Let's see here, be still now… Look away if you're not sure you can take it, Hinata-chan," Eirin commanded as she tries to find a suitable artery.

"Ye-yes!" Hinata complied, looking away quickly as Eirin plunged the needle into her artery.

"Okay, that's it," the doctor concluded as she put the sample into the tub. "Doesn't feel so bad, no?"

"Y-yes… you're right, Eirin-san…" Hinata said a bit more resolutely.

"Now, go get dressed, and then measure your height and weight on the scale over there when you're done," Eirin said as she stood and walked to her chair with her data. "Just write the results on the white-board. After that, you may call the final team-member."

"Y-yes, Ma'am," Hinata said as she re-applied her sarashi wrappings.

…

"Well, that concludes our examinations for today," Eirin said as she looked to the data she had obtained. "Michiru-chan, can you call your sensei? I'll be discussing this data with him."

"Okay!" Michiru enthusiastically replied, while she bolted outside.

"Finished, eh?" Eino greeted happily.

"Yes, sensei!" Michiru replied. "Oh, and Eirin-san needed to talk to you right away."

"Well then, that means now the three of you will have an assignment," Eino said. "I want you to go to the Konoha Library and research about Nouten's Law of Motion and Falling. After that, you three will write one essay about it, with the maximum length of one standard scroll. The deadline will be at three, here in room 101. You may do what you want in the meantime, but if any of you don't collect the essay by three, it will be punishment time for all of you. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yessir!" Naruto cheerfully replied. Apparently Eirin's pseudo-genjutsu on him had worn off.

"Yes sir!" Michiru added.

"U-understood… sir…" Hinata rounded them off.

"Okay then, get to it!" Eino commanded with a smile. "Move, move, move!"

…

"So then, here we are," Naruto exclaimed as they set foot on the library.

"Of course we are, dude," Michiru threw back the rhetoric at the boy.

"Oh, so you're here again, Hinata-chan," the kindly librarian girl in her late twenties sitting on the help-desk greeted. "Reading again? Oh, you've brought friends I see!"

"Ye-yes, Nakano-san… we have a team assignment…" Hinata stuttered slightly as she walked to the reception desk. "Do you happen… to know where… the books regarding Nouten's law… on falling motion or such…"

"Hmm, science books, eh… let me just find it here first," the young-looking librarian mused for a bit as she pored on some sort of a catalogue. "Aah! It's on the Orange Block, shelf number three… near that corner."

"Thanks, miss!" Naruto exclaimed as he bolted to the direction Nakano pointed. "C'mon girls! We have an assignment to catch!"

"Aah, I better control him before he veers off into the manga section," Michiru sighed as she followed suit.

"What energetic friends you have, Hinata-chan," Nakano commented as Hinata started to follow suit.

"Hai-hai… Nakano-san…" Hinata muttered with a slight blush. "They are… m-my… precious friends…"

* * *

A/N: Sorry for the massive lag of update... my thesiswork are important too! A big round of applause for my two beta readers, Megaolix and Erendhyl! You guys are win ^^


	4. Arbitration

* * *

Chapter 4 – Arbitration

* * *

"Greetings."

"Greetings to you too… Hiashi Hyuuga-sama."

The air seemed to thicken as the words roll off Eirin's tongue. Hiashi exhaled a little, plainly stating his distaste of being outside of his seat of power. Eino sat on a third chair nearby, giving him a good vantage point.

"Leave me be. This conversation is strictly for the three of us."

The elder Hyuuga's aide reluctantly left the Research Room 101, leaving the three people inside. A dull thud marked the closure of the door.

"Let us get to the… heart… of the problem, no?" Eirin started, Hinata's examination report lying on her desk.

"Very well. I have been informed that this is regarding the well-being of my weak daughter," Hiashi responded, taking a chair as his own seat.

"As a doctor," Eirin said, blunt and stern, "I could not fathom the reason of a father letting her half-lungless daughter overexert herself!"

"You are talking nonsense. My eldest daughter has no health problem," Hiashi calmly replied, although through Eino's eyes his tough cover is nearly blown away. "The annual medical examination by our internal medic team revealed no such shortcomings."

"Well, if you care to explain, Hyuuga-sama," Eirin growled dangerously with an emphasis to the –sama honorific. "How would you explain Hinata's less-than-normal air intake volume? I am willing to bet, down to my last yen, that her lung capacity is less than normal. If this is not dangerous enough, the level of antibodies in her body is also dangerously high. This is a telltale sign of overactivity in the immune system…"

"As I said, Yagokoro-dono," Hiashi cut harshly, emphasizing the –dono honorific rolling off his tongue. "I see no basis of fact for your hollow insinuation."

"Easy here, people, easy…" Eino cautiously stepped in, trying to win Hiashi's attention. "Our Hokage placed high hopes in this pilot project, sir. Under no circumstance we can allow slip-ups to happen, especially if we could prevent it."

"Well, maybe he placed too much good faith upon my eldest daughter…" Hiashi sharply remarked, although backing off at the same time.

"I honestly believe that Hinata has the potential, sir. Even though with shortcomings my sister had noted, she managed to graduate as the number five of twelve graduates. I can make her surpass it, sir. I am well aware of that," Eino pressed. "But we need your cooperation. We need to confirm Hinata's condition so we can draft an optimal training program for her."

"If we can manage her power expenditure, we are capable of overcoming the limitation God had placed upon her, Hyuuga-sama," Eirin supported Eino's hypothesis. "For starts, we need to lessen the toll of daily exercises on her body first…"

"Are you suggesting that my daughter leave her daily Jyuuken drills?" Hiashi quickly cut in.

"Maybe not abandoning them in entirety, Hyuuga-sama," Eino suggested, taking easier breaths. "The breathing exercises are definitely there to stay because it builds and maintains the chakra pathways, but I would suggest less kata drills."

"She was never good at her kata practices anyway," Hiashi grunted, as if saying those words was an afterthought. "Very well. That much is acceptable."

"Well then, moving on to her chakra pathways…" Eirin said seriously.

…

"Is this all the books?" Naruto asked as he put a stack of books regarding physics on a reading table.

"Pretty much," Michiru stated as she started to pore on a book titled Treatise of Classical Physics. "Nouten… Nouten…"

"Hmm… Of Motion and Its Forces… Elementary Physics… Physics for Dummies…" Naruto mused as he sorted the books, stacking it beside Hinata. "Eh? Now this is an interesting one… Hachi… Sakai… no Hon? Book of Eight Borders? Doesn't seem like a physics book…"

"E-eh?" Hinata piped up, leaning to Naruto as she peered over his book. "It… m-might be a misplaced b-book…"

"Seems so…" Naruto wondered. "Let's have a look then…"

…

"Uhrghhh…"

Naruto blinked a few times over as he adjusted his eyes to the light. He seemed to awake in a bright, well-lit place, a far cry from the drab, often inadequately-lighted place known as the Konoha Central Library. Sure, its rows of shelves are still there, but the lighting had suddenly brightened. It was as if someone had suddenly installed a few incandescent lights.

"Greetings," A warm and kind voice intoned as Naruto tries to navigate his way through the maddening maze of tall bookshelves.

"Huh? Who is it?" Naruto asked curiously as he looks around for the source of the voice.

"Hello, Little One," the owner of the voice said soothingly. Naruto noticed that a woman is sitting before a reading table a few feet to his side. Clad in a Victorian dress in the color violet, the long-haired blonde woman smiled as her eyes and Naruto's locked glances.

"Hello, ma'am," Naruto greeted her awkwardly. He never seen this woman before, but her features seem so familiar to him.

"Have you a purpose of seeing me?" the motherly figure intoned, free of malicious intent. "There have not a soul who opened the Hachi Sakai no Hon without any proper reason… even if they have yet to know it."

"So… I'm inside a book now…?" Naruto asked gingerly, confusion written all over his face.

"Well, it depends on how you would perceive it," the yellow-haired woman answered. "One of the Hachi Sakai no Hon can do is open the way inside one's subconscious. I am the guide of the book, so to speak… and one of my jobs is to guide you through your subconscious, so perhaps you are right…"

"Uhh… you lost me," Naruto said morosely.

"Ohohoho, don't let that drag your day down," the woman intoned.

"Okay… so you say you reside in my sub-conscious or whatever that was… was it?" Naruto asked. "Does that mean that you are some creaturefreeloading inside my brain?"

"I may," the woman said back, followed by a shrill, musical laugh. "But I may not. I may be a figment in your memories, or I may be a product of your imagination. Although, there is one very real thing lurking inside of you… I'll give you a few guesses."

"I think it's pretty familiar… or was familiar," Naruto said.

"Ahahahah, you are right, but let me conclude this meeting here. You can get lost if you stay here too long, you know," the woman said as she wiggled a finger in front of Naruto's face.

"Ooh, scary… but you're right, my friends must be worried!" Naruto exclaimed. "How can I go out?"

"Trust your heart, for it will find you the way," the violet-clad lady suggested.

"Uhhh… you lost me again, but thanks anyway," Naruto said as he turned and walked away. "Ciao, neesan!"

The boy quickly slipped out of sight, while a woman dressed in fine kimono made her presence known. Her golden obi accentuated the sakura-colored kimono well, while nine fluffy tails trailed behind her like a fan. Her golden hair, a similar color as the tails, was cut short in a bob, complementing her oval face well.

"You have just missed your chance to converse with your vessel, you know," the violet lady remarked.

"He had grown… just like his father," the nine-tails wistfully remarked. "The type who will stop at nothing before his goals can be achieved…"

"Awww… come on, don't sink into melancholia just yet," the violet lady said cheerily. "Now that I'm his guide to his subconscious, I can hook the two of you up anytime!"

"I don't know…" the blond whispered as she wistfully stared to the distance. "Namikaze… why did you choose me for this task…?"

…

Half a village from there, another team was busy training themselves. The Seventh Team, as they are called, was busy trying to retrieve two bells from their instructor Hatake Kakashi's person.

"Damn it! I almost got that bell when he was distracted…" Sasuke growled impatiently as he rubbed his sore jaw. "Your diversion fails!"

"Yes… I managed to divert his attention, but it still seemed inadequateto make a good opening…" Tenshi said as she tried to normalize her breath.

"We better hurry," Sasuke intoned. "It's nearly time… now's fifteen minutes before his twelve o'clock deadline."

"Please, Sasuke-kun… I'm trying my best here!" Tenshi shot back in exasperation. "With Sakura-chan out cold, my work is doubled…"

"God damnit, I can see that!" Sasuke snapped. "That good-for-nothing fangirl won't make any good difference anyway…"

"As much as you are right, that doesn't justify…" Tenshi replied, trying to lessen the vitriol Sasuke is spewing over her female team-mate.

"C'mon, Tenshi! You, of all people, could see the gapof skill difference between you two!" Sasuke quickly growled. "I can only depend on you!"

A few seconds of silence ensued, with both parties realizing the Freudian slip. A slight blush rose on Tenshi's cheeks, although it seemed to escape Sasuke's notice.

"Well that's… that's because you're the one who'd least likely to fail me!" Sasuke adamantly exclaimed. "Anyway, any final ideas we could go with? Fifteen minutes is not a long time, so it's our final shot..."

"I'd say we press near the end of deadline… give or take five minutes before the deadline sounds plausible," Tenshi offered an insight. "People tend to loosen if they know they are leading near the finish line, right?"

"Not the best idea, but worth a shot," Sasuke grunted half-approvingly.

…

"Uh… wha…" Naruto mumbled softly as he got up from his sleeping position. He found out that he was laying on a neatly arranged makeshift bed, made from a few of the library stools.

"Morning, Sleeping Beauty," Michiru said as she glanced over to her male team-mate. "You have slept for fifty years, and I'm your team-mate's grandkid, Michinoku Kagami. Nice to meetcha."

"That joke ran dry a few years ago, Michiru-chan…" Naruto grumbled, not taking the bait. "How long was I asleep?"

"Just about two hours," Michiru helpfully said, while packing a pen into her pen-case. "Hinata was a bit frightened, so she made that makeshift bed. I assured her that it's probably just general weariness, and we finished the essay. Now she's delivering our scroll to Eino-sensei."

"Holy God… sorry for not helping you guys…" Naruto said as he got up, crestfallen.

"Don't sweat it," Michiru said as she patted her friend and team-mate on the back. "It's not like something we would bother mastering or something. Nouten's Law of Motion and Falling itself turned out to be some hard-to-understand formula and axioms, so Hinata and I just sort of crammed the whole thing into a scroll. Or something like that."

"I'm… man, it's the first time I felt a bit guilty for falling asleep… when you guys need me to say the least," Naruto replied.

"Don't mention it," the female genin said, patting Naruto on the shoulder. "Everybody got their moments and their slip-ups. Besides, I won't think you'd be a help back then… you are never the bookworm type. Thank GodHinata is one."

"Well anyway, speaking of which, man!" Naruto exclaimed, his voice back with enthusiasm, "You'd never believe what my dream was!"

…

"Excuse me, Eino-senseeei~" Hinata called while knocking on Room 101 of the Konoha Central Hospital. On her hand is a standard scroll, crammed with whatever she and Michiru could write about Nouten's Law of Motion and Falling.

The door quickly opens, and to Hinata's surprise, she saw her father standing across the threshold. She quickly scampered aside.

"O-otou-sama!" Hinata blurted as she bowed deeply.

"Oh, Hinata. I will be waiting for you after dinner, daughter. There are a few things we must discuss," Hiashi said sternly before making his way through.

"Yes Otou-sama! I-I shall look f-forward to it!" Hinata quickly blabbered, bowing as the older Hyuuga left the small scene.

"Well, well, if it isn't Hinata-chan..." Eino commented as he walked across the doorframe, noticing Hinata still a bit stunned by the door. "We're talking a bit about the training regimens with dear old Dad there. By the way, have you guys finished the assignment? I notice you bringing a scroll there."

"Wha-… Uh… W-well, yes, Eino-sensei! We h-have written what w-we could find on N-Nouten's Law h-here!" Hinata quickly answered, handing the hastily-written scroll to her instructor.

"Well done, well done," Eino simply replied, with a smile added. "You three can take the rest of the day off. You may train some more if you want to, but not too hard, ok?"

"Y-yes, Eino-sensei!" the white-eyed genin resolutely replied.

*growwwwlll*

"Oh, and I recommend filling that empty stomach, Hinata-chan," Eirin quipped from her desk upon hearing the noise. "It's growling quite cutely… if not loud, also!"

"R-right away, E-eirin-s-sensei!" Hinata said swiftly before turning tails, heading back to the library where her two new friends await.

"Tomorrow morning same time, Hinata-chan! Tell your friends!" Eino added as Hinata bolted further away. The young genin quickly stopped and turned towards the teacher, before bowing a bit and resumes her run.

…

"Aaah, I feel alive again!" Naruto exclaimed as the three of them walked out of Ichiraku-ya.

"Nothing cures him like half a dozen bowls of kitsune ramen," Michiru sighed as she walked beside Hinata. Hinata giggled a bit, since knowing him bit by bit takes her closer to her original goal.

"So, where to now?" Naruto said as he whirled around to face the girls. "It's still a bit before three… shall we go somewhere fun?"

"I-I'll go!" Hinata hastily replied, eager for every bit of the orange-clad boy's time.

"Swell! We could go crawfish-hunting down the rice-fields!" Naruto said happily. "After that we can grill them! I have a burner at my place…"

"Oh God," Michiru grunted wearily. "God damnit, Naruto! The rice fields isn't a place refined girls like us should be in!"

"I-I'm willing… to try…" Hinata muttered briefly.

"Or we can go fishing... I know a great stream in the Eastern Training Grounds, we can catch some brook trout there…" Naruto added helpfully. "I also got some tackles I can lend you two. C'mon, it'll be fun!"

"Oh, the loser team," a grumble startled Naruto as a familiar figure slipped by near the three of them. Sasuke and Tenshi passed by when they were talking.

"WHAT WAS THAT?" Naruto bellowed, turning his finger to point at Sasuke.

"As I said," Sasuke coolly replied while stopping on his tracks. "Loser team… Nine."

"Take that back. Now," Naruto voiced his reply as he grabbed Sasuke's shoulder. Sasuke glared back dangerously to Naruto in response.

"I apologize on my team-mate's behalf, Naruto-san," Tenshi quickly interjected apologetically, putting a light touch near Naruto's elbow. "We just had our team-mate downed for the count in training today, so please understand his disagreeable mood… will you?"

"He should say it himself," Naruto growled, equally dangerously.

"Please, Naruto-san," Tenshi pleaded, but with a lower voice that carried more threat than persuasion.

"It's not worth it, Naruto," Michiru said quickly, grabbing Naruto's shoulder. "Come on."

Naruto, seeing that Michiru had joined the fray to pull him out, decided not to pursue the matter further. He relinquished his grab while glaring to the two best graduates from the ninja academy.

"Thank you for your consideration, Naruto-san, Michiru-san. I sincerely hope that our further meeting will be on more favorable terms," Tenshi concluded with a bow and a smile, visibly letting out a held breath while Sasuke just grunted inaudibly. "Good day to you!"

"Sheesh, what a dick," Naruto grunted as the duet entered a restaurant a few doors beside Ichiraku-ya.

"I'd rather not pick a fight with the two of them…" Michiru quickly voiced her reluctance. "He is, after all, the number one graduate this year, man. Not to mention Tenshi is also the second behind him… and the fact that they're team-mates…"

"Pah! Team-mates or not, I want to make them learn some humility!" Naruto spat.

"W-well…" Hinata meekly piped up. "I-I'd better go h-home now…"

"There goes the mood," Michiru grunted wearily.

"I feel like sleeping my ass off…" Naruto responded succinctly.

"Aaaah! That reminds me! I should be sleeping too! There's a soccer movie on TV this midnight!" Michiru exclaimed happily.

"The hell, man?" Naruto replied, stunned by the sudden turn-over.

…

Hiashi Hyuuga was never a man who wallowed in past reminiscences. His vision was always onward, not caring much of what the clan has achieved or lost in the past. In his stern eyes, greatness surely lies ahead. That outlook alone put his presence now in an awkward position.

In front of him stood the grave-marker stone of his late spouse, Hinata and Hanabi's mother, Tsuruko Hyuuga. She was widely remembered as a truly refined lady, skilled both in the world of martial arts and house-keeping. One branch-family elder once even went so far to say that she is one of the finest Hyuuga ladies in existence.

Gently, Hiashi washed the grave-stone with water from a bucket he brought with him. There was little trace of moss on the drab gray stone, although the stone was wetted from time to time. Among all the visitors, Hiashi ranked among the rarest to tend the grave although it was situated within Hyuuga clan cemetery not a stone's throw from the main compound.

"Beloved, the day I feared has came," Hiashi softly whispered. "Your legacy to Hinata… has been discovered."

A rustling of leaves replied to Hiashi's words, as if a chuckle from Tsuruko herself.

"I wonder… if I raised her the wrong way…" the leader of Hyuuga clan wistfully continued.

…

*knock knock*

Naruto was a bit startled by the knock on his door that evening. His visitors were rare almost to the extreme, save for the occasional ANBU agent delivering stipends or small gifts from the Hokage. Ichiraku-ya also has a ramen delivery service, but Naruto never requested it.

"Cooommin!" Naruto said as he opened the door.

"I bid you good evening, Naruto-san," Tenshi greeted from across the door, a medium-sized bento box in her hand. "Please, let this be a humble reparation for this afternoon's incident."

Naruto just stood on the door, stunned for a full 9.75 seconds, before gaining enough composure to respond.

"Uhh… well, you don't have to, Tenshi-chan! I think nothing of this afternoon, really!" Naruto blabbed quickly. "Just us hot-headed boys… yeah, that's it! My head's all cool now! Ahahahah… ehh… wanna come in?"

"Sorry to intrude~" Tenshi said as she stepped across the threshold of Naruto's door.

"Aheheheh… sorry for the mess. What can I get you?" Naruto sheepishly smirked as the kenjutsu specialist peered around.

"How typical of a boy's room!" Tenshi said as Naruto quickly went back from the kitchen with two glasses. "Ah, no need to trouble yourself, Naruto-san…"

"No matter, it's the least I can do. Sorry for the simple drinks… Haven't shopped for this month's worth of Ribena yet," Naruto sheepishly said as he poured some condensed orange juice drink from a bottle for Tenshi and himself.

"You're just like my little brother," Tenshi remarked as she sat by Naruto's low table. "He drinks Ribena like there's no tomorrow."

*grrroooowlll*

Tenshi giggled as she heard the rumblings of Naruto's stomach, signaling his hunger.

"Please help yourself, Naruto-kun… I cooked them for you, after all," Tenshi said in a motherly tone. "A- well, of course, as a reparation… no strings attached…"

"Uhh… well, itadakimasu!" Naruto said as he opened the bento box and starts to dig in.

…

Half a village from Naruto's apartment lays the Inuzuka clan estates. Renowned for their woodland tracking skills and specially-bred wardogs, the clan had naturally built themselves a first-rate kennel equipped with equally first-rate veterinary equipment. The breeding area of the kennel itself currently holds three female dogs with their litter of five each, as well as a handful of other dogs which are either in recovery, had no human Inuzuka partners due to death, or simply been excused from active duty for checkups.

_**WOOOAAAAAAAAAGH!**_

The dogs in the kennel suddenly perked up. The puppies whimpered due to surprise, but quickly consumed by their childish curiosity and barked back and forth. They felt a great noble alpha male has called for superiority, and they just have to respond to the call. Other dogs were responding with various reactions, ranging from outright surprise to grudging respect.

"Okay, okay, it's curfew time for you kiddies!" intoned Hana Inuzuka before she blew a dog whistle to calm the ecstatic dogs down. "Jeez, you guys are unusually lively tonight…"

…

"This is marvelous! I haven't tasted this kind of goodness beside Ichiraku-ossan's Kitsune Ramen, Special Savior version!"

"Glad to hear that," the ultramarine-haired maiden sitting across him said proudly, "Usually I only cook for my family…"

"Mmph! Sewpreb! Hunkyoo!" Naruto mumbled loudly as he wolfed down some fried egg rolls.

"Now now…" Tenshi scolded while smiling. "Thank me after you finish."

Naruto eagerly nodded, before proceeding to finish the bento with absolute relish.

"Uhaaa… that food was marvelous, Tenshi-chan!" Naruto enthusiastically praised the girl as he set the empty box on the low table. "Where did you learn to cook like that? Did the Kami of Hearth and Cookery herself teach you?"

"Well, in a way," Tenshi said while smiling. "I'd better go back now. My brother can be quite a handful if I leave him for too long with my father."

"At least let me wash the box real quick," the blond said quickly, taking the box to the kitchen sink.

"If you insist then," Tenshi said softly. The sound of running water from the kitchen quickly confirmed the blonde boy's intention.

"One thing I don't get, Tenshi-chan," Naruto called from the kitchen sink. "Why do you do this? Why go this far only to bring a small peace between me and Sasuke?"

"That's…" Tenshi replied unsurely, caught off-guard by the blonde's words. "I felt that it's a terrible waste for you two…"

"A waste?" Naruto replied curiously as he emerged from the kitchen, drying the box.

"Yes. I just felt that you and Sasuke… similar, in a way," Tenshi goes on, receiving the cleaned bento box and its lid from Naruto. "If only you two can get along…"

"Thanks for the effort, Tenshi-chan, I appreciate it," Naruto said reassuringly. "Give us time, it'll probably work out."

"You're right…" Tenshi said as she wrapped the empty box in cloth she brought from home. "Off I go, then. Have a good night."

…

A soft knock echoed into the silence of Hiashi Hyuuga's reading room.

"Enter, Hinata my daughter," Hiashi said as his Byakugan activated for a quick moment, revealing who behind the door.

"I-I attend to your summons, D-dear father," Hinata said softly.

"It has fallen to my attention that your jounin instructor and his medical advisor have some suggestions regarding your daily regime, my daughter," Hiashi remarked as his piercing gaze penetrated Hinata's person. "We have agreed upon a few points, and I would like that to be implemented with due haste."

"Y-your wish is my command, Dear Father," Hinata meekly replied.

"The first is the reduction to your daily kata exercise and the addition to your meditation time, in which I expect you hone the breathing techniques…" Hiashi started his explanation.

It took a good three-quarter of an hour to get all the fact across, but Hinata memorized them with little difficulty.

"Any more questions, child?" Hiashi asked.

"N-no, Dear Father," Hinata replied.

"That is good. I expect you to do all of them starting tomorrow," Hiashi said with a gentler tone. "That is all."

"Th-then… I shall e-excuse myself," Hinata said gingerly as she made her way to the door.

"Rest well… Hinata," Hiashi replied.

Hinata paused for a few seconds before bowing deeply to her father. The pause in her father's last order confirmed it in Hinata's heart: the gentleness was back.

* * *

A/N:

Great shout-out for both of my beta Erendhyl and Megaolix! Oh, and in case you readers noticed, I changed a lot of 'Kami' with 'God' on Erendhyl's suggestion, and will do so . It begins as a cultural reference, but I guess it's a bit too minor to be used and grows annoying as time goes.

Oh, and i'm a bit out of idea for the moment (as well as thesis-work), so please refer to my profile for a little poll regarding Team 9's pairing. I wasn't thinking much on building Naruto's love life when i started it, and i think i might have good ideas if i hear you guys out. So choose up! They're a bit crossing the border (except NaruHina of course), but rest assured that whichever will be chosen will be worked with utmost care.


	5. Kick and Rush

* * *

Chapter 5 – Kick and Rush

* * *

Michiru's mornings always started with a bang. Or rather, a splash for today.

"Waaaake up… the Nogami way!" a man gleefully exclaimed as he dumped a small pail of cold water on Michiru.

"PAPA! You wet the futon agaaain!" Michiru wailed as she got over the initial shock.

"Haha! They say watering the flowers in the morning is a sign of dilligence!" Tousou Nogami proudly exclaimed. "How is my cute flower of frost doing?"

"Fine, thank you!" Michiru huffed indignantly.

"And today's morning washing goes to… Papa!" a motherly voice called from beyond the threshold of Michiru's door. Tsurara Nogami had made herself known.

"Mamaaa~" Tousou wailed in mock agony as he comically begged for leniency. "Papa will be late for work agaaain~ And Papa's salary will get cut again~"

"Papa will not be late if Papa starts now," Tsurara said in a cold tone, As cold as the icicle she was named for.

"Yeees ma'am…" Tousou quickly obliged, slinking out of the room.

"Ah~ that papa of yours…" Tsurara sighed. "Lucky thing Sougai managed to pass chuunin… Michiru, be a darling and air the futon before eating, okay?"

"Okay Mama!" Michiru said as she saluted to her mother.

…

"Mornin' Lil Frosty!" called a young male's voice as Michiru set herself on the dining table. Two pieces of toast, a sunny-side-up egg, and some bacon already sat on Michiru's plate.

"Morning to you too, Sou-niisan," Michiru returned her brother's greeting as she peered around for her father. "Baka-papa already left, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess so," Sougai Nogami said as Michiru bit her bread. "I think he has just finished quick-washing the clothes…"

"Aren't you leaving the village today, nii-san?" Michiru asked as she sliced her sunny-side up to bite-size pieces.

"I'll be leaving after lunch," the chuunin answered as he put down his mug. "Itakura-san, Kururu-chan, Hayate-sensei, and I have been assigned to escort three statesmen on a diplomatic voyage to Sunagakure."

"Good luck for you then," Michiru snickered as she replies. "I have heard that desert nights can be as romantic as a night downtown…"

"Aw, c'mon Frosty…" Sougai grunted playfully. "Kururu-chan and I haven't got past that stage yet! We're still childhood friends as it is!"

"Michiru, hurry up or you'll be late to your team meeting today!" Tsurara reminded her daughter as she washed the frying pan.

"Ahhh man! How can I forget!" Michiru shrieked and quickly wolfed down the food. "Hot dang it's almost eight!"

"Jeez, don't wolf it, you'll choke," Sougai helpfully said as he saw the bacon on his sister's plate disappearing too rapidly into his sister's mouth.

"Finished! I'll be going now Mama, Sou-nii!" Michiru quickly said while giving her mother a swift peck on the cheek. "Oh, and my best regards to Ruru-nee, Sou-nii!"

"Time sure flies," Tsurara sighed as she took Michiru's plate and eating utensils to the kitchen sink. "Yesterday it's you, today it's her…"

"Even I have started to feel old, Mama," Sougai commented.

…

In the nick of time, Michiru made it to the stadium. There, his sensei and two team-mates had arrived and was chatting.

"So sorry for being late!" Michiru greeted the three people, huffing slightly from her sprint.

"I-it's still five m-minutes to eight, Michiru-chan," Hinata corrected. "You're safe…"

"You're sharper than yesterday, Michiru-chan," Naruto commented.

"Of course, duh…" Michiru replied morosely. "Papa dumped a bucketful of cold water on my head today."

"Yikes, that's harsh!" Naruto exclaimed while wincing.

"Well it happens sometimes, especially when Papa is just as much a prankster as I am," Michiru said, bouncing back from hermorose mood cheerily. "Look at the bright side! At least I'm not overly sleepy like yesterday."

"Now now… the team's here, let's have a jog like yesterday, OK?" Eino said as he ushered the three youths for a light run around the stadium.

…

As they finished the third lap of jogging, Team 9 sat again in the middle of the stadium.

"Ok team: what can you learn from Nouten's Law of Motion and Falling that you summarized yesterday?" Eino said as he eyed the three genin.

"Uhh… I guess it governs about forces of this world…" Naruto offered an explanation. "They are the forces beyond humans' imagination and comprehension!"

"Then what exactly is the purpose of that law, duh…" Eino replied, visibly a bit displeased. "Way off the mark. Hinata?"

"I-it explains about forces at work when a thing moves or falls," Hinata explained gingerly. "It also explains about the falling acceleration constant, which is universal for any given place in this world…"

"…What Hinata-chan said…!" Michiru cried in a small voice.

"It seems that Hinata is the only one having a solid grasp on the concept," Eino said, a slight dismay evident in his voice. "Hinata, good one. You two, read more."

Hinata blushed a bit, while the two pranksters groaned.

"Now, let me introduce you to the essential jutsu we will be primarily using to accomplish our task, namely the Danmaku no Jutsu," Eino said gingerly. "The explanation for Danmaku no Jutsu can be a long one. Let me just show you how the jutsu do its work."

"This is gonna be awesome!" Naruto excitedly commented as Eino made his way through a series of hand-seals for the jutsu's activation. "First day of training and we're learning a new jutsu, believe it! How cool is that!"

"Ah, since you're already enthusiastic, why don't you be my demonstration volunteer, Naruto?" Eino suggested. "Don't worry; it'll probably be only about as painful as a bee's sting."

"Yikes!" Naruto exclaimed, wincing. "Don't be too hard on me, Eino-sensei!"

"Haha, no pain no gain, Naruto-kun!" Eino said as he laughed. "Now, stand back about twenty yards and give me a few clones to play with. Eight will be enough."

"You got it, sensei!" Naruto hollered as he activated his Kage Bunshin no Jutsu and produced eight clones.

"Excellent. Now have them attack me from wherever you like," Eino commanded as he lapsed into a fighting stance somewhat resembling Hinata's Jyuuken.

"You heard the sensei!" Naruto excitedly shouted. "Go go go!"

"Bang!"

Not a split-second too soon, one clone met its end just beside Naruto, exploding into a cloud of smoke with a popping sound. Naruto was caught off guard, but quickly made a mental command for the other clones to spread out in attacking. He didn't think much of a stinging sensation suddenly piercing his forehead, though.

"Bang!"

The second clone met its demise as it tried to approach the sensei from his left-hand flank. Other clones were pressing their assault from a variety of sides, trying to find the jounin's blind spot. Meanwhile, Naruto felt a sharp sensation piercing his senses again, now from his left temple.

"Ba-bang!"

Now, two clones that were attacking Eino's front and rear flank exploded into a cloud of smoke as Eino finally whirled in place with his arms wide open. Two sharp sensations now stung Naruto's senses on his chest.

"Ba-ba-bang!"

Eino whirled like a dervish, dodging attacks from three different sides while letting three shots loose from his chakra reserve. Sharp sensations assailed Naruto once more, as he felt the tutor's bullet hitting three different places in his torso area.

"Bang!"

The final clone explodes in a cloud of smoke as Eino purposefully showed his back to it, nailing the clone right on the middle of the forehead without looking. The final sharp ache was also felt by Naruto.

"Ba-bang! Bang!"

"Ouch!" shrieked Naruto and Michiru almost in unison as the shot hit their foreheads. Hinata also felt the sting of Danmaku no Jutsu's shot, but chose to vocalize nothing but a slight whimper, biting her lower lip instead.

"That, my students, is the capability of a Danmaku no Jutsu practitioner!" Eino said as he made another sequence of hand-seals to dissipate excess energy. "Any questions?"

"Awesome, sensei! I'm speechless!" Michiru commented enthusiastically as she raised her hand. "Just how on earth did you made the clones go pop and my forehead hurt without even touching them?"

"Danmaku no Jutsu is centered on the notion to disable or kill your enemy before they get to you. Its effective range can grossly exceed that of the shuriken and the kunai, making Danmaku no Jutsu the perfect tool of combat," Eino explained as he sat down in front of the excited students. "It is also highly versatile. The basic variant I have shown you is perfect for disabling or harassing enemies, while stronger variants can kill a man quicker than an ordinary swordsman can. Different chakra use can also alter the nature of its use. For example, if you use earth chakra, the bullet can penetrate wooden boards and even armor, while fire chakra can make your bullet burn flammable things you shot."

"Woah, so cool!" Michiru marveled. "I want to learn it immediately!"

"Me too, me too!" Naruto added. "I'm sure I can go kick all sorts of ass with this! My enemies will flee on sight, believe it!"

"I must remind you though. The road to Danmaku perfection is a long and winding one, my young pupils," Eino said in mock seriousness. "There is a steep set of stages on learning it. Usually students are not considered proficient and allowed to use the jutsu out of practice until about a year's study."

"THAT LONG?" Naruto hollered. "I bet I can do faster than that, sensei! You watch!"

"It is not wise to rush things, Naruto… I may not be there to help if your Danmaku no jutsu malfunctioned or functioned improperly in the middle of a mission," Eino scolded lightly, causing Naruto to sulk slightly. "Now, the first step in learning Danmaku no Jutsu is learning how a projectile soars through the air… and the best way to do it, is by studying the ancient art of archery. Let's find you enthusiastic youngsters three sets of archery gear and an archery practice range first."

…

"Welcome to Ten Swords! We provide the best weapons for any situation! How can we help you?" greeted the young female shopkeeper as our three genin and their teacher. "Eh? Aren't you Hinata-chan?"

"Eh… he-hello, Tenten-san," Hinata returned Tenten's greeting.

"You're with your team, I see! Good for you, Hinata-chan! Aah, you must be the team's jounin instructor, sir!" Tenten greeted enthusiastically. "Nice to meet you! Shopping for this team's weapons, I guess?"

"Yes, we are looking for three bows for practicing archery," Eino said. "Do you have some in stock?"

"Bows, eh? Bows, bows… Not the number one seller around here… We may have some in the warehouse, but let me ask my father down the back first," Tenten thoughfully mused as she walked into the back room. "Father! Oh Faaaatheer!"

"I didn't think that you would know the shopkeeper, Hinata-chan," Michiru remarked idly as they waited for Tenten to return.

"W-well… Father usually to buy weapons f-for the clan arsenal here… he s-sends Kotarou-san here to deliver… payments, a-among things," Hinata explained gingerly. "T-Tenten-san also helps me with… academy studies from time to time…"

"Wow, you knew many people, Hinata-chan!" Naruto pitched in. "You're… eh, how do you say it… well-connected, yeah!"

"N-no…" Hinata meekly replied. "J-just a few…"

"Hullo!" A hollering greeting was heard as Tenten's father emerged from the back room. "Reckon y'people need some bows, eh? Stocked a few a long while back, but m'afraid they're no good anymore… y'know, rats, termites, and the elements. I can make them for y'people, but you'd have to wait prolly a week… a tenday tops, to get it. How's that sound, hmm?"

"Sounds absolutely fine to me, sir," Eino responded quickly.

"Got yerself a deal then!" Tenten's father enthusiastically said. "What manner of bows would y'need then? Laminated, composite, long, short?"

"Since the bows will be primarily practice gear for these kids, I think medium-sized bows will do," Eino intoned. "But if you can make a composite one, I think it will teach further lesson of weapon care for these youngsters."

"Three composite bows," the weapon-maker said. "Good choice, good choice. Decent fer practice, yet has some stopping power. I'll make it. Ey Tenten, make them a receipt!"

"Okay, father!" Tenten said.

…

"Now what do we do?" Naruto mused excitedly as they exited the weapon shop.

"We will start physical training for the three of you," Eino said smugly. "You have a lot to learn and train before I consider you adequate to wield a bow. I will train you in bow fighting theories, breathing, hand-eye coordination, and much more. Plus we will get your bodies conditioned for bows…"

"Talk about steep steps on learning…" Michiru grunted.

"Excuse me, mister," a soft voice from a maiden clad in red and white greeted them. "Where might I meet with the man in charge of this village? The guards on the city gates directed me to a 'Hokage Tower', but I seem to have lost my way…"

"You'd probably want to see the Hokage himself. Indeed, his office resides in the Hokage Tower," Eino greeted. "Naruto here can guide you. Naruto, make a bunshin and take this girl to the tower, will you?"

"Sure thing sensei!" Naruto obliged as he made a bunshin.

"Well then, please follow the bunshin miss," Eino said to the smiling girl.

"Thank you very much!" the maiden replied.

…

"Mornin' Old Man!" the Naruto-clone announced as he opened the door to The Hokage's Office.

"Good morning to you too, Naruto," The Hokage replied with slight annoyance mixed with wise surprise in his tone. "I see you brought company."

"Yeah. The girl here said that she needed to see the man in charge, so I thought I should bring her straight to you!" the bunshin continued. "Cuts through the biro… biro… ah, whatsitcalled…"

"Bureaucracy, Naruto. Thank you for the effort," the Sandaime corrected with a chuckle. "Now shouldn't you get back to your sensei for training?"

"Okay!" the bunshin exclaimed as it poofed out of existence.

"Have a seat, miss," Hiruzen said as he gestured for the guest to sit. "One of the messengers had informed me this morning regarding your arrival, but alas you had gotten lost. The guards should have accompanied you to the tower, but recent events have forced us to step up on security, and we are understaffed as a result."

"Yet the misfortune allowed me to experience the hospitality of Konohagakure, one I would appreciate much of. Allow me to formally introduce myself to you, sir. I am Reimu Hakurei, priestess and representative of the Ichi Zen Shinto sect," the girl clad in white and red explained as she sat. "I was sent here by the Ichi Zen to seek permission for building and maintaining a temple within the community known as Konohagakure."

"I see… I am Hiruzen Sarutobi, Sandaime Hokage and head of Konohagakure. I must say that your sect could not pick a better timing," Hiruzen said thoughtfully. "We do have a shrine building here, adjacent to the former Uchiha clan compound. However, it has fallen into disuse for quite a few years now, since usually one of the Uchiha maintained them…"

"We of the Ichi Zen have heard of the tragedy, yes… Fugaku Uchiha has always been respected for maintaining the place of our faith within Konohagakure. Some within our sect had even believed that his death to be a prime example of martyrdom," Reimu sympathetically intoned. "We had planned to honor his sacrifice and keep the faith strong, but alas, we are severely shorthanded at that time."

"Yes, his death is a highly unfortunate one in many ways," Hiruzen nodded in agreement. "But let's not dwell so much in the past. The Ichi Zen are welcome to revitalize the shrine and make it into a center of the Ichi Zen faith for the region, so long that it does not interfere to our daily affairs in Konoha. The paperwork will be dealt within a few days… give or take a week."

"We of the Ichi Zen are thankful for your consideration, Sandaime Hokage-sama," Reimu bowed gratefully.

"Ah, don't mention it. We are grateful that the Ichi Zen had chosen to re-extend their peaceful spiritual presence here," Hiruzen respectfully adressed back. "I will dispatch a genin to accompany you around town for today. Do you have any other requests before we part?"

"A town map will be handy," Reimu replied with a smile added.

"A simple matter for us," The Hokage said. "Oh, and you might want to be acquainted with Fugaku's sole remaining son while you're at it. He still lives within the compound."

…

"For your first practice, we will do push-ups. Lots of them," Eino said as he settled down on the training ground.

"Easy!" Naruto talked back happily to his sensei.

"How many could you do in a day, Naruto?" the sensei inquired with a smug face.

"Uhh… about a hundred… I guess," Naruto answered tentatively.

"Hmm. You'd better keep the enthusiasm, because we'll be doing much more than that," Eino said in glee, sending shivers down his three students' spine.

_Later that day…_

"Can't… feel… arms…" Naruto groaned, lying face-down on the earth.

"Worse… than having… arms… frozen…" came the mumbled reply of Michiru.

"S-sensei… It… h-hurts…" Hinata half-whispered in desperation. Tears were running down her cheek.

"Only a hundred and fifty, eh?" Eino announced gleefully, slight sadism evident in his voice. "Not bad, but far from perfection! I want more than two hundred the next time around! Class dismissed!"

"I'd say… he's… as evil… as… the demon fox…" Michiru mumbled as the sensei pulled away, leaving the trio.

"Hah… you'd say…" Naruto commented morosely.

Hinata only laid, biting her lower lip in sorrow.

Somewhere, in a forlorn place, a kitsune winced.

_That night…_

"How are the kids?" Eirin asked as she thanked the nurse delivering food to her room.

"They are exceeding my expectation, although not by much," Eino replied, sipping some tea from a mug. "They did a hundred and fifty push-ups today, more than when Grandfather Kaiichiro first started teaching me."

"Very good," Eirin commented as she took the bowl of rice from the tray. "The experimental serum is being processed. I hope we can obtain the first batch by the end of this week or so… the shipment for those so-called enzymes is a bit late."

"Eirin-nee, is it really necessary to strengthen them with that?" Eino threw a rhetorical question. "Sandaime-sama could raise a fuss… my training is already somewhat brutal as it is…"

"We've spoken to Hiashi-sama, remember?" Eirin shot back as she swallowed a mouthful of rice. "While not an airtight alibi so to speak, he can help us by explaining that this treatment is done for Hinata's medical condition."

"Yeah… it pains me when I realized that I had started to teach like Grandfather Kaiichiro," Eino sighed in defeat. "I hope they can end this state of war once and for all…"

"No pain, No gain, dear brother…" Eirin responded. "And war is about as big pain as it gets."

…

"You people's arms still sore?" Eino asked as they gathered that morning.

"As if you had to ask, sensei," growled Michiru.

"They got better alright… but not before eleven PM…" grunted Naruto as he proved his point by swinging his elbows. Hinata only looked on, slightly discouraged yet not defeated.

"Ahahahahah! You still have the Will of Fire burning. Excellent!" Eino happily replied. "We'll be running cross-country today, to rest your arms for the next batch of arm training. No chakra strengthening allowed! Follow me!"

_Later that morning…_

"NARUTO!"

"NARUTO!"

Naruto winced as he slowed down. He recognized the source (or rather, sources) of the call. No other ninja can make that loud a holler than Maito Gai and his almost-son, Rock Lee.

"Ah… hello, Gai-sensei, Lee," Naruto greeted back, slowing down his pace a bit so Gai and Lee can catch up.

"Narutoo! Better keep up!" Eino barked as he peered back. "Put your waist and legs into it! Train your stamina!"

"Yes sensei!" Naruto hollered back, letting the two taijutsu specialists match his now-quickening stride.

"Uhooo! I see your jounin sensei trying to stoke your Flame of Youth! Commendable! Marvelous!" Gai-sensei spiritedly announced. "Lee, we must not let our Flame of Youth falter on the face of these hard-working people! We are going to work harder than them! We are doing twenty laps around town more than them!"

"Yes Gai-sensei! Uhoooo!" Lee replied, just as spiritedly, as the two taijutsu specialist upped their pace. "So long my friend Naruto! My Flame of Youth shall burn even brighter as I run!"

Soon the two taijutsu specialists left the slightly miffed Team 9 behind, their manly laughter still echoing in the distance.

"Who was that beside Guy?" Eino asked as he observed their antics.

"Uhh… well, taijutsu expert and Gai-sensei's favored student, Rock Lee…" Naruto answered as his sensei matched stride with him. "They're oddballs like that…"

"You can learn a thing or two from their perseverance," Eino said with a smile. "Checkpoint! We'll rest for fifteen minutes, after that we'll head to the woods!"

_Later that day…_

"Can't… feel… legs…" Michiru groaned as she collapsed on a clearing, in the area of the hill overlooking Konoha.

"Can… feel… knees… creaking…" Naruto responded, already down for the count.

"Do you think you people can walk down, or should I get blankets and notify your houses?" Eino joked as he sipped some water from his canteen.

"Blankets," Naruto muttered his reply.

"Blankets," Michiru added.

"U-umm… B-blankets… sensei…" Hinata sighed, ready to throw the towel in for today. A small part of her maiden heart refused to let Naruto and Michiru hog all the fun.

"Well, that makes a tent for the four of us," Eino lightly commented as he whipped out a storage scroll and pulls out some camping gear. "Well, are you people going to help me with the tents or what?"

"Too tired," Naruto grunted.

"First to wake up gets the energy bar," Eino baited. "Eirin Special Energy Bars! Guaranteed to ease fatigue and promotes good night sleep! Endorsed by The ANBU!"

A few tense moments pass as Michiru and Naruto just stayed in their original positions. Neither was in a particular mood to even move, more so because their breathing was yet to fully normalize and their legs drained. Finally, Hinata slowly rose up to her feet, determined to not lag behind her spirited team-mates.

"How… can I be of help… Sensei…?" Hinata haltingly said as she rose. Her eyes were filled with burning spirit, something unusual in Hinata.

"Hmm, we can start with the tent. Please lay them out as per academy survival training," Eino said as he prepared for summoning animal messengers to deliver his message. Hinata complied, and began laying out the pegs and rope for tent-building.

"Aaah, we're doomed," grumbled Michiru as she struggled up. "Our princess had beaten us to a simple task…"

"And here I am, letting the girls take the lead…" Naruto growled as he got up.

"Kuchiyose no jutsu!" The teacher shouted as the summoning sequence brought three super-deformed, rabbit-eared girls clad in indigo blazers and beige short skirts appeared before him.

"Gweetings Eino-chama!" greeted the three of them in unison. "Kiko, Kika, and Kiku, ready for your tashk!"

"Greetings to you too, Kiko, Kika, and Kiku," Eino returned the greeting. "Please help the three kids as I write a note for their houses, will you?"

"Sir yesh sir!" the three bunnies hollered in unison, as they darted towards the genin trio, eagerly offering help for them.

_Almost half an hour later…_

"Well, that takes care of it," Eino said as he wrote the last note for the Sandaime, just as a little notice for Naruto camping in the hills. After all, the grand old man was the kid's legal guardian. As he glanced towards the campsite, he noticed that the genin trio were now trying to build the tent with the assistance of Kiko and Kiku. The three were almost identical; however, Kiko's eyes were black, while Kiku's eyes are yellow. The small bonfire in the middle of the campsite was tended by Kika, whose eyes were blue.

"Kiko, Kika, Kiku, assemble please!" Eino called out as Naruto drove the last peg of the medium-sized tent into the ground.

"Sir yesh sir!" The three summoned creatures exclaimed as they converged upon Eino.

"Kiko, I need you to deliver this to the Hyuuga household. Have Hinata point out the way to you. While you, Kiku, will deliver this to the Nogami household. You can ask Michiru, for directions," Eino doled out the orders for the rabbit-girls. "And lastly Kika, you will deliver this note to the Hokage in the Hokage Tower. He can be found in the Sarutobi Estate, the most heavily-guarded estate around. After completing the tasks, you are dismissed. Everybody understand their tasks?"

"Sir yesh sir!" The three rabbits complied.

"So, that's your summon," Naruto remarked as the summons leave the camp. "Cute beings, they are."

"Yes… they are quite useful as scouts, because people tend to relax their guard in their non-threatening presence," Eino remarked, pulling out some rations and quite a big package of marshmallows from the storage scroll. "While not the strongest in terms of strength, the Lunar Rabbits are highly cunning, not to mention masters of genjutsu. Their higher-level summons can make a whole battalion of foot soldiers flee in disarray with their genjutsu."

A collective growl emanated from the stomach of the three genin, prompting a smile to rise on Eino's lips.

"Well then, we better dine quickly now. These marshmallows can be quickly roasted on open fire or eaten as it is. They contain a lot of sugar and energy, perfect as a ration," the sensei said as he distributed the marshmallow pack around. "After dinner, we'll go to sleep since tomorrow we will take some missions, first thing in the morning. Oh, and here's your prize, Hinata-chan."

"Th- thank you…" Hinata said modestly as she received the so-called energy bar from Eino.

"I thought you were kidding!" Naruto wailed as he saw Hinata eating the energy bar.

"It happens that I don't," Eino replied, smiling to the sulking boy.

"Wow, it's fluffy and sweet!" Michiru exclaimed as she munched on a piece of marshmallow. "Where did you buy this, sensei?"

"Abroad," the sensei stated simply. "But I can give you the recipe. Ask your mother to cook a batch of these sometimes."

"Swell!" Michiru exclaimed, and the rest of the dinner went by uneventfully.

…

"Taking the first watch, eh?" A shadowy figure clad in camouflage gear greeted, approaching Eino from the direction of his shadow.

"I've sedated them for a bit, we're safe," Eino nonchalantly replied, not bothering to face the mysterious person. "Your contributions have been taken care of, and the payment will be provided in the near future."

"What a delight," the figure commented in an alto-sounding voice, walking towards Eino silently until the person looms above the sitting jounin trainer. "Now for the reason Lord Orochimaru sent me here…"

"Give me more time…" Eino said in low growl. "It's hard enough to keep a low profile here… much less provide a detailed map of Konoha. Due to the Mizuki fiasco, security has been stepped up."

"The Lord might not be so tolerant next time," The alto-sounding stranger warned while chuckling lightly. "Although I'm one of his favored, I don't know if I can get him to grant you a delay."

"He has to. I know he isn't one to rush his plans…" Eino replied flatly.

"You'll be surprised…" the stranger replies as she fades away in a swirl of leaves.

* * *

A/N:

I'm finally free from thesis... and walks right into a writer's block. AUGH! As always, great shout-out for both of my beta Erendhyl and Megaolix! You two provide valuable support to me!


	6. Long Run

Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine. Touhou is not mine. As are the song in this chapter, which is Sorairo Days by Shoko Nakagawa (an Opening theme of Tengen Toppa Gurren-Lagann). Isn't it sad, Sacchin?

All hail ZUNtaniaaaaa!

* * *

**Chapter 6: Long Run**

**

* * *

  
**

"Rise and shine, Team Nine! Rise and shine!" Eino bellowed as the morning sun peeked from behind the clearing. "Today is mission day!"

"Hngrrrgh…" Naruto groaned as his sore muscles cramped for a bit.

"Good morning… sensei…" Hinata grunted as she sat up, her mind slowly coming into focus.

*snoooooooreeee*

"Never an early bird, eh…" Eino sighed as he glanced to the snoring Michiru.

.

_***PANG PANG PANG PANG***_

.

"Wake up! Wake up!" Eino shouted as he banged the butt of a cooking pot with a ladle, three inches over Michiru's head. "Roll call! Wake up!"

"Wha-why-how?" Michiru cried, more than a little startled. "Se-sensei…?"

"We're going to the mission office today, did you forget?" Eino admonished lightly.

"But sensei…" Naruto complained. "It's so early…"

"And you thought we'd laze around?" Eino retorted. "We have to cook our breakfast! It's too much expenditure for us to go down and eat before we go to the Mission Office! Besides, it's good work ethics to start early!"

"Ugh…" Naruto groaned dejectedly.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Eino commanded on. "Naruto, get a bucket of water! Michiru, Hinata, pack the camping gear and start a fire! First one to finish get the energy bar! Chop, chop, chop!"

…

After an uneventful breakfast of rice cooked with strips of beef jerky, the quartet made their way to the Mission Office, a rather small building a stone's throw away from the Hokage Tower. Some questioned the wisdom of the Sandaime Hokage in separating two important buildings, namely the Bureau of Mission Placement and Hokage Tower, at first; but as Konoha grew more powerful, the ruling council had seen that this division was for the better. The Hokage Tower quickly filled out with its many divisions, taking space that otherwise would be book-filled dead space when utilized by the Bureau of Mission Placement.

"'Rasshai-rasshai![1] Welcome to Konoha's Bureau of Mission Placement!" a cheerful clerk greeted the three members of Team 9 as they entered the Konoha's Office of Mission Placement.

"Hello Miss clerk!" Naruto returned her greeting spiritedly. "Any mission for us?"

"We are looking for D-ranked missions," Eino helpfully added. "We're Team 9…"

"Hmm! Must be Team 9 of the fresh graduates," the clerk cheerfully replied, shuffling around stacks of mission folders on her table. "You're the second fresh-grad team to take their first mission, you know…"

"I-is that so…?" Hinata meekly joined the idle chat.

"Yeah. Team 10 came-a-charging earlier and took the recovery mission for Tora…" the clerk off-handedly remarked while rearranging some misplaced files. "Probably they will be back by noon, if they're lucky enough."

"My my, that cat sure is maintaining its penchant for trouble," Eino commented light-heartedly. "It is said that the majority of Konoha's ninja since the great Minato Namikaze has taken the Tora recovery mission at least once."

"Damn! That's one feisty cat to catch!" Michiru said while patting her forehead in surprise. "Have you done that mission, sensei?"

"Yeah, I have. Took us a good part of a day to catch that fat cat…" Eino reminisced, chuckling lightly. "So Miss Clerk, what have you got for us?"

"Sorry to say that we are currently out of D-rank mission requiring one full team… had you came just an hour or two later today, there'd be plenty of them," the clerk responded as she produced a thick bundle of mission dossiers. "Although if you insist on doing some missions now, we do have a few full-day missions only asking for one or two personnel… here's the details."

"Hmm, no choice then, we'll just have to split teams…" the sensei said, rubbing his chin. "Okay team, choose your mission."

"Hmmm… Help needed at Hakurei Shrine… temple repair, menial labors… lunch provided by the Shrine…" Naruto mumbled, reading one of the mission descriptions.

"Sounds like one you'd like, Naruto," Eino commented.

"But it's a bit weird, sensei," Naruto remarked. "Why not ask help from the local laborers? This mission sounds like an awful lot of work unbecoming for a ninja…"

"That's the mystery, my student," Eino remarked, winking. "I think you'd be able to get the bottom of this by taking the mission, no?"

"Woo! Alright then, I'll resolve this mystery!" Naruto spiritedly replied. "Miss Clerk! I'll take this Hakurei Shrine mission!"

"Okay then, put your name, mission number, and signature on this list, and you're good to go!" the clerk helpfully pointed out, whipping out a checklist.

"Now now you two girls, no time for gossip!" Eino hollered, clapping his hands as an emphasis. "Time's a-ticking!"

"I think I'm taking this one, sensei!" Michiru replied, waving her mission leaflet. "Mission given by the Hokage's office himself. It's said that a foreign music promoter is in town, and he need someone to show him around… something about suitable grounds for an upcoming concert. Looks like a good job to forge some jet set connections!"

"Nice one, that could give you some benefits other than money," Eino remarked. "How about you, Hinata?"

"I ch-chose this, sensei…" the Hyuuga girl meekly held out a leaflet. "A message runner replacement detail in the city gates' northern guard post…"

"Not bad, although it can get a bit boring if the day is slow…" Eino soothingly comforted Hinata. "Alright then, let's get moving then!"

…

"Excuse mee~" Naruto called as he reached the temple grounds. "I'm the helper from Konoha…"

Nobody answered Naruto's call immediately, so his gaze wandered around for a bit. He recalled that along the way he encountered only a handful of Guard Posts manned by genin personnel. The shrine's immediate surrounding area is pretty heavily forested with tall oak and cherry trees, lending a peaceful air to the once-disused building. Songbirds could be heard from a distance, and the bustling noises of the Village Hidden in Leaves are nowhere to be heard. Naruto couldn't help wondering why such prime property hasn't been purchased by one of the wealthier mercantile families. If not for its seclusion to immediate services, this area would probably be a nice place to live.

"Oh, greetings! Sorry to make you wait…" Reimu greeted as she emerged from the back of the shrine building. "Hey, if I recalled right, you are the child who took me to see the Hokage!"

"Aaah, right! You're that girl!" Naruto exclaimed enthusiastically. "What are you doing here?"

"I work at this place now," Reimu answered with a smile. "Ah yes, we haven't been properly introduced. My name is Reimu Hakurei, miko and caretaker of this Ichi Zen Shinto shrine. It's a pleasure meeting you."

"The name's Naruto Uzumaki, fresh genin and future Hokage of Konoha!" Naruto spiritedly introduced himself with a grandiose gesture, topping it off with his signature particle. "Believe it!"

"That is a noble goal, Naruto Uzumaki, and I believe it," Reimu emphatically said. "Now for what purpose do you visit to the shrine?"

"Oh, yes… I've been sent here by the mission office for your request…" Naruto quickly followed through.

"I see. Are you ready for the task at hand, then?" the Hakurei miko asked.

"You bet I am, Hakurei-san!" Naruto hollered, patting his contracted left biceps for emphasis.

"Good. Most of the hardest work had been tackled by the laborers yesterday, so what we'll be doing are mostly finishing touches. Let me brief you about things to do, then…" Reimu said, tying up the sleeves of her white gii[2] with a cord.

…

"He's LATE," the last heir of the Uchiha clan grunted for the umpteenth time. "Does he even try tutoring us, goddamnit?"

"Well, Kakashi-sensei must have a reason…" Sakura sighed.

"I'm bored…" Sasuke further grumbled as he stood. "Maybe I'll do some kata… spar..."

"W-would you spar with me, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura offered quickly.

"Naaah, you won't be enough challenge," Sasuke off-handedly dismissed Sakura. "Tenshi, spar with me."

"Now, now…" Tenshi admonished as she felt a tinge of resentment seething out from Sakura. "I'm sure Sakura would pose as much challenge as I am. She's improved a bit since she sparred with me."

"She won't. I already knew back when we're still in the academy … her form is nowhere as good as mine or yours," Sasuke remarked coolly. "I think I nailed her good in our last spar. It wasn't even a minute and a half until she went down the first time."

"Try her," Tenshi parried Sasuke's barbed comment gently. "Sakura-chan should improve from my tutoring."

"Ah… all right," Sasuke grunted wearily as he got up. "Have at you, Pinky…"

"Ah… y-yes!" Sakura exclaimed as her mind was snapped awake by the object of her infatuation's grunt.

With that, they both sparred, although it quickly became apparent that the difference of skill between Sakura and Sasuke is still vast. Tenshi the bystander noted that Sakura's blows were a bit strained. Perhaps her infatuation got the better of her, Tenshi thought.

"By the gods, Sakura," Sasuke hummed lazily as he flicked a kick from his opponent out of the way. "Are you even punching?"

"But I am serious!" Sakura cried exasperatedly, her next set of punches hitting air as the Uchiha danced his way through it.

"Man, you're not even worth it," Sasuke grunted in an annoyed tone. "Perhaps you could blind me with the shine from your forehead… FOREHEAD FLAAASH! Or something like that…"

If one would pay close attention to the two sparring genin, one could hear the faint sound of a distant snapping.

…

"Uhm… ex-excuse me… is this the First North Guard Post?" Hinata meekly asked as she walked into the door of a watch post located at the north borders of the village proper.

"Hi-hinata-sama?" an unsure voice answered Hinata with a question. Apparently, the guard in charge was a branch family Hyuuga. "I-… well, I see that you are taking our request for a runner…"

"A… ano… well, th-this is getting… a little awkward… Naoya-san…" Hinata chuckled meekly, a slight smile filled with ease adorning her lips. "P-please… treat me… kindly…"

"Has our replacement runner arrived, Naoya?" a burly man said as he emerged from the resting chamber. "Oh… well, now I understand Naoya's awkward reaction…"

"Uh… er… r-reporting for duty, sir! Hinata Hyuuga will take runner duty in this Guard Post!" Hinata exclaimed, straightening up.

"Good to meet you. I'm Rokkan Haneharu, and I'm in charge of this Guard Post shift," The burly man said as he patted Hinata's shoulder. "Your runner shift is from now to four in the afternoon. Now, please deliver these reports to the Central Command Center quickly and get back here. Understand?"

"S-sir! Yes sir!" Hinata replied, before scooping the armful of documents and preparing to leave.

"Ah… you're new on this, aren't you…" Rokkan intoned, chuckling slightly as he pointed to a mailman's bag in Naoya's hands. "Use that bag, it really helps."

Suffice to say that Hinata's face, at that time, was as red as a ripe cherry.

…

"They should be in this inn…" Michiru mumbled as she stood before the front gate of Teramichi Inn, one of the high-end inns situated in the wealthier parts of Konoha. The information provided in her mission dossier pointed her to meet the client there. "Man I'm nervous…"

"Take deep breaths, Michiru," Eino directed gently. "Remember your manners and you'll be fine."

"Well then, here goes nothing!" Michiru exclaimed as she stepped in, going all the way to the reception desk.

"Can I help you, miss?" the female receptionist asked politely before Michiru had even the chance to speak.

"Well, yes… I am looking for a guest by the name of Mr. Tamio Mototora. I was sent by the Mission Office…" Michiru blabbed quickly, not entirely sure of what she was saying. "He has placed a request for a guide around town…"

"Let me see… Hmm, yes, he is indeed one of our guests. We will notify him of your presence," the receptionist replied.

"Great then! I'll just, uh… wait for him there," Michiru stated happily, visibly deflating.

"Is this man with you, then?" the receptionist asked, pointing to Eino.

"Y-yeah… he's my supervisor…" Michiru added quickly.

"Not bad," Eino encouraged as he sat beside the ice-wielder. "The mission won't be a PR disaster at the very least…"

"Aw… senseeeii!" Michiru pouted. "I'm already worked up here!"

After a few minutes of waiting, a bespectacled man in his early thirties descended from the stairs leading to the second storey of the inn. Pointed by an inn attendant, he heads towards the waiting ninja duet. His steps, Eino noted, were a little bit unsure and hesitant; probably because he was a total newcomer in the village.

"Hello, I'm Tamio Matotora," the man introduced himself as he shook Michiru's and Eino's hands. "I take it that you two are the people sent by the municipal office, yes?"

"Well, that's her," the jounin sensei corrected. "I'm her supervisor."

"Oh, so I guess I got an intern…" Tamio said to himself.

"I assure you sir, my knowledge of the village is second to none," Michiru cut in, trying to sell her good points. "You can count on me to get you anywhere within the town limits!"

"Oh, that I'm sure, miss," Tamio quickly corrected. "It's just that I have quite a lot of things to do with all the red tapes and permits… ah man… should've asked for more than one personnel…"

"Well technically we're two," Michiru piped in, before throwing a glance and a whisper to her teacher. "Bail me out here, sensei!"

"It's a bit stretching on the rules, but I guess I can pitch in," Eino offered.

"You can? That's great! It's also fortunate that you're around her age, too! Yes, yes…" Tamio enthusiastically replied. "Hmm, I guess it's better to discuss our problem at our room upstairs, miss… err…"

"Michiru. Michiru Nogami," Michiru cuts in. "And this supervisor here is my sensei, Eino Yagokoro."

…

"Where… am I…?" Sasuke Uchiha grunted as he slowly woke up.

"You got punked pretty good," a masked Jounin explained as he peered to Sasuke's point of view. "I guess Sakura put you to submission and then ran over you with a four-horse wagon. Mild concussion and bruised ribs… nice punches, I never knew she had it in her."

"Yeah… it's pretty severe, Sasuke-kun …" another voice piped in as Tenshi Hinanai made herself known. "Lucky thing I can calm Sakura down…"

"Well, that ought to teach you how to pick your fights," Kakashi replied lightly as he got up to leave. "The doctor puts you in supervised rest for the rest of the day and tomorrow, so I guess it's training day-off for us. Be sure to rest up."

"So… where's the culprit?" Sasuke grumbled cynically as Kakashi disappeared behind the door.

"Out to buy flowers I guess," Tenshi remarked as she poured some water for herself. "She was here when Kakashi-sensei came. I guess she felt guilty for punching you lights out."

_Great… I can imagine this room filling up with flowers from everybody and their grandma by the time this day is over,_ Sasuke ranted internally.

"You still owe her some credit, you know…" Tenshi pointed out as the five-feet-something girl took a seat.

"Yeah. I think something snapped when I taunted about her forehead. Aaah… I feel awful," Sasuke replied, huffing. "I think I'll pray to the Kami for protection next time… there's that shrine maiden… perhaps she can perform some blessing…"

"Shrine maiden?" Tenshi inquired. "Did our village even have a shrine? I never know…"

"She just came, I guess. She came to the house, introduced herself, and said that she'd take over the old shrine in the Uchiha clan property yesterday… good thing, too. I've been thinking to reuse that building for storage," Sasuke responded, trying to get up. "Ouch…"

"Easy there, Sasuke-kun…" Tenshi admonished. "Do you want some water?"

"…Yeah." Sasuke grunted succinctly.

"Ah man…" Tenshi sighed as she moved to pour some water for Sasuke. "All you have to do is ask… you're so alike to my brother. Oh, how he try to look rough and tough all the time… I think he took after you, in a way."

"Don't lump me with a brat," Sasuke grumbled as he accepted the glass from Tenshi and drank.

"Boys, boys," Tenshi quipped, earning a scowl from the last Uchiha of Konohagakure as she accepted the now-empty glass.

…

"Here we are," Tamio said as he opened the room door for the three of them.

"Hello, Producer-san!" a long-haired girl greeted them. "Have you met our escorts? Oh… are these two them?"

"Yes, Reira-chan," Tamio replied. "Yagokoro-san, Nogami-kun, please meet my artist, Reira Nijikawa. Reira-chan, this is your guide for today, Michiru Nogami and Eino Yagokoro."

"Hello Yagokoro-san, Nogami-san," Reira cheerfully stated. "My name is Reira Nijikawa! Nice to meet you all!"

"Nice to meet you too, Nijikawa-san," Michiru stated formally as they shook hands. Reira's palms were smooth and almost free of calluses, the genin kunoichi noted. Michiru couldn't help but to believe the line of work this foreigner made a living on.

"Oh, don't be so formal! Reira-chan is all right for me, Nogami-san," Reira quickly cut in, flicking one of her double ponytail aside. "Can you show me around? Please? I'm dying to get out of this inn, but Producer-san is too afraid of me getting lost or meeting creepy fanatics…"

"Well, now I see no reason in keeping you here, Reira-chan," the relatively young producer said, a burden let out from his proverbial shoulders. "Can I trust you with keeping my artist out of trouble, Nogami-kun?"

"You can count on me for that, sir!" Michiru complied, her military training kicking in.

"Yay! Finally I can get out of this musty inn!" Reira cheered, visibly elated. "Wait here! Let me change for a bit before we go!"

"Well then, now that Reira's occupied for a bit, we can start working for the particulars of the show…" Tamio stated as he brought out his working briefcase. "Does this town have some sort of open space? A place of gathering… squares or parks, so to speak…"

"We have a stadium at the Konoha Sporting Complex," Michiru offered some information. "It can seat probably a thousand people, but I can't say anything more about the lighting and stuff. We seldom have night football matches that require spotlights…"

"We can arrange that with the management. The Fire Football League is also currently in a break, so it should be free for the time being," Eino helpfully added.

"Well, the lighting's not a big problem; we usually brought our own for the stage. I'm also pretty concerned about security and medical support," The Producer plodded on. "Can we hire such personnel from the local municipality for the event?"

"I believe it can be arranged, with the right price of course," the jounin quickly replied.

"Yes, I'm done now!" Reira suddenly cuts the conversation short, showing up clad in a lemon yellow sundress, a white cardigan, and a bandana. A cute pink purse complemented her looks.

"Well then, you better get going," Eino reminded. "I'll tackle things around here."

"We'll meet back here in the afternoon… probably by five or six o'clock," Tamio added. "Now go have fun in town!"

"Okay, Producer-san!" Reira complied, taking Michiru's hand as she half-dragged the genin outside. "Let's go, let's go!"

"Thanks a bunch for this, sensei!" Michiru said as she peered into the door one last time. "I'll treat you to ramen sometimes!"

…

"Have you finished with the papers, Naruto?" Reimu called out from the main hall of the small shrine. "We still have the living quarters' bathroom door to fix…"

"This is hard work!" Naruto called from outside the paper door on the far side of the room. He had been gluing sheets of rice paper to mend the paper-lined sliding doors since they got back from the Hokage's office. "I'm mostly done, Hakurei-san! There's a bit more gluing left, though…"

"Good work," Reimu hollered. "Finish them up, and then we'll have lunch!"

"Finally! My stomach is rumbling!" Naruto cried back.

A few minutes later, Naruto finished his task and entered the wooden-floored main worship hall. Reimu was nowhere to be found, so his eyes gazed to the large statue of Bishamonten on the northern side of the hall. Various religious implements were neatly placed in a long table under the altar, adding a certain sacred aura to the worship hall.

"Quite a presence, isn't it?" Reimu said softly as she entered the hall from the southern entrance. "Lord Bishamonten of the North, Guardian of Heaven's Treasures, Punisher of Evildoers and Protector of Warriors. It's only fitting to have his shrine right here in Konoha, no?"

"Yeah… never knew much of Gods, though," Naruto professed. "Never been to a temple since I can remember. I never knew that a temple is close by, in fact…"

"Piety and worship time does not always go hand-in-hand, Naruto-kun," the twenty-something girl stated. "The gods most appreciate those who are sincere in their worship, not those who worship the longest but… metaphorically speaking, slept through most."

"That's… deep stuff," Naruto sighed. Apparently his knowledge of religion was next to none, at the wrong end of the scale.

"Well, on the lighter side of things… lunch is served," Reimu simply said. "I'm cooking trout, miso soup, and vegetables."

"Now that," Naruto gleefully exclaimed. "Is what I can understand!"

"Wash your hands in the well first, and then we'll dine in the living quarters," Reimu gently told Naruto as she ushered the blond boy out of the worship hall.

…

"Woah… so many stores…" Reira marveled as the two-girl group made their way through the main street of Konoha.

"Should we get something to eat first, Reira-chan?" Michiru suggested. "It's almost half past twelve."

"…Eheheheh, no wonder my tummy rumbled," Reira sheepishly replied. "So, where would you recommend, Nogami-san?"

"There's a few places, depending on the food you'd like… What kind of food do you like to have?" Michiru asked. "Oh, and Michiru-chan would be fine. You're the one who said to not be formal…"

"Right then, Michiru-chan! Hmmm… let me see…" Reira mumbled, trying to choose between her many tastes. "How about ramen? I haven't eaten that in months!"

"Hmm, good thing a friend of mine knew the best ramen around… we'll have lunch there," Michiru agreed. "Shall we?"

"Let's go, let's go!" Reira enthusiastically replied.

…

The day for Hinata was a bit slow. The First North Guard Post, as the name suggested, was one of the main gates on the Konohagakure city wall; thus it had the fair share of passersby going in and out of Konoha. However, her duty as a runner was practically a glorified version of the duties given to an errand girl, so Hinata pretty much did nothing except for delivering hourly update reports, visitor logs, and whatnots to the Hokage Tower. And with the tower only five minutes away by roof-hopping and even quicker by shunshin, there was plenty of time to spare.

"Why are you sweeping, Hinata-sama?" Naoya Hyuuga's question jerked Hinata back to the land of the living again.

"Aah! Eh… wawa… err… j-just looking for something to busy myself with… Naoya-san…" Hinata sputtered her reply, all while clutching a broom in her hand like her life depended on it.

"I see… Haneharu-san does this too when it's a really slow day," Naoya chuckled.

"A ninja who leaves footprints is as good as dead," the Guard Post commander cut in, apparently having finished checking a merchant's wares. "Man, I'm hungry. What's the menu from the caterers today?"

"Hmm… if I'm not mistaken… onigiri with assorted fillings, vegetable stir-fry, and buckwheat tea," Naoya replied.

"Gah, not that I'll be guessing what the mystery filling will be," Rokkan grunted. "Let's order take-out instead… I'm in the mood for ramen, what about you?"

Hinata tensed up. _If she's ordered to buy some from Ichiraku, then she had a chance to meet up with Naruto-kun… An unexpected rendezvous... A light conversation... Aaah~_

"Otoguro-san and Yoshiki-san also said yes," the branch family Hyuuga exclaimed as he descended from the ladders, breaking another of Hinata's Fuwa Fuwa Daydream.

"And Enjouji would probably go along with us as always," Rokkan sighed, throwing his glance to the kunoichi taking the guard duty outside. "Settled, then. Hinata-kun! I task you with an additional logistical supply duty of buying us ramen lunch at Ichiraku's!"

"A- Yessir!" Hinata straightened up as the command and hourly report scroll was given.

"Here's the money, and buy us six Chicken Ramen and two large bottles of lemon tea," Rokkan continued as he counted his money to Hinata's hand. "Take the excess as delivery fee. Now get going, and go back soon!"

"Yessir!" Hinata said as she put the scroll in her postman's bag and the money in her jacket's pocket.

…

"Itadakimasu!"

"Itadakimasu."

After saying their prayers, the miko and orange-clad ninja dug in. Reimu's cooking was fairly simple, with miso soup, salt-grilled trout, cabbage stir-fry and rice.

"I don't know you eat meat too, Hakurei-san," Naruto commented as Reimu picked a piece of meat off the trout skillfully. "Many manga say miko girls don't…"

"It depends on the oath, Naruto," the shrine maiden answered the concealed inquiry. "Some of us, especially those who are particularly gifted with both strong visions and magical power, took an oath not to consume any kind of animal products to purify themselves and further strengthen their powers. Those who trained for their magic power usually have an oath not to consume flesh and blood, meaning they still drink milk and eat eggs. I myself took a lesser form of oath, not consuming those who walk the land… which means I still get to eat fish and other aquatic animals."

"Gee, that sounds complicated…" Naruto mulled the explanation for some second. "I guess I can never be a monk. Tonkotsu Ramen is too great a temptation…"

"There are many kind of monks, Naruto," the maiden further explained as she ate. "A sohei[3] usually eschew eating meat altogether, although a yamabushi[4] might still consume what he hunted alone. My father is a great yamabushi, and he always refused when presented with meat he did not kill himself."

"Wait… your father is a monk?" Naruto surprisedly inquired as he finished his miso soup. "I thought they… well, y'know… don't do… er, that stuff…"

"As I said earlier, there are many paths of devotion to the Kami," Reimu said as she smiled, finishing her fish. "My father does not take an oath of celibacy, as some other yamabushi do."

"Ughh… it's all so confusing…" Naruto groaned.

"Religion is best learned a bite size at a time," the shrine maiden chuckled as she took the last piece of vegetable stir-fry, chewed it thoughtfully and swallowed, before finally setting her chopsticks down. "Gochisousama deshita."

"Er… Gochisousama deshita!"

…

Hinata's heart sank as she gazed around at Ichiraku-ya Ramen. No Naruto spotted. She had even extended her Byakugan to cover a few hundred yards, too, but no sign of Naruto. She had walked slowly on purpose, too.

"What can I get you?" the girl behind the counter asked as Hinata took a seat at the counter.

"Uh… six Chicken Ramen and two large bottles of lemon tea… take-out," Hinata said wearily.

"Got it. Your order will be packed and ready in a bit," the girl replied. "Should I pack the broth and the noodle separately? The noodles tend to get soggy if they're packed together with the broth…"

"Eh… er… you can separate it…" Hinata responded listlessly.

"Right," the girl said cheerfully as she put a glass of water in front of Hinata. "Tou-san! Six Chicken Ramen, take-out, separate!"

"Got that!" the old man behind the ramen-making table hollered back.

"Hey, if it isn't Hinata-chan!" Michiru greeted as she patted Hinata at the shoulder. "How's your work?"

"A-! Eh… oh, it's you Michiru-chan…" Hinata replied, taken by surprise. "Fine, fine… I'm buying lunch for the people at the guard post…"

"I see… Oh, I'd like you to meet Reira Nijikawa. Reira-chan, this is Hinata Hyuuga, a good friend of mine," Michiru said cheerily. "I'm her tour guide for the afternoon."

"Nice to meet you, Hinata-chan!" Reira greeted spiritedly.

"Nice to meet you too, Nijikawa-san…" Hinata returned the greeting, with a lot less spirit compared to her conversational partner.

"You seem blue, Hyuuga-san…" the idol ventured a guess.

"E-eh? N-no… this is… pretty usual, actually," Hinata sheepishly replied, forcing a smile.

"Is work boring?" the idol further pressed on. "Or did you just break with your boyfriend?"

"W-well… A bit… b-but it's not a problem, r-really!" Hinata frantically tried to parry Reira's verbal jab. "Th-the co-workers are nice! And I-I'm s-s-still single!"

"Then there's no reason to be blue, no?" Reira beamed. "Let's see if I can lift that spirit up! Monooki Yaritori no Jutsu~!"

A pop and a puff of smoke later, a guitar and amplifier set appeared near Reira. After a few clicks, the young idol sat on the amplifier, taking a few tentative strums to make sure that the sound is adequate.

"What is she doing…?" Ayame wondered as she watches Reira took a few deep breaths.

"Beats me…" Michiru replied, just as bewildered.

"Er… Waitress-san, is it okay if I play some music here?" Reira asked politely as she turned to Ayame.

"Uh… well, go ahead, I guess…" the waitress said, scratching her head. "Should be okay, right Otou-san?"

"Go ahead, go ahead! There's nothing interesting here anyway!" the old man replied, a grin plastered to his face. "It'll be the biggest event around here since Lee got drunk!"

* * *

**_Kimi wa kikoeru?_******

**_boku no kono koe ga_******

**_yami ni munashiku_******

**_suikomareta_**

**_

* * *

_**

_Can you hear me?_

_This voice of mine _

_was futile _

_and __sunk __by darkness_

* * *

Suffice to say, the distortion-laced guitar riff intro accompanied by Reira's smooth voice is enough to make many heads turn to her. It was just past the lunch rush, and the crowd has thinned enough to give them space although they are mostly still there. The idol then proceeded to flash a confident, almost cocky smile to the stunned audience, although the most stunned individual there is certainly one Hinata Hyuuga.

"Wow," Ayame commented succinctly.

"When I heard her job, I didn't even think that she was THIS good!" Michiru commented spiritedly. "She knew how to make blood BOIL!"

* * *

_**moshimo sekai ga**_

_**imi wo motsu no nara**_

_**konna kimochi mo**_

_**muda de wa nai?**_

_**

* * *

  
**_

_If the world_

_Indeed has a meaning_

_Then these feelings_

_aren't useless, are they?_

_

* * *

  
_

_**Akogare ni oshitsubusarete akirametetan da**_

_**hateshinai sora no iro mo shiranai de**_

_**

* * *

  
**_

_I was crushed by my aspiration and gave up_

_Without knowing the color of the boundless sky_

_

* * *

  
_

Hinata can only sit by the counter, too stunned to even speak. Reira sang in an almost conversational tone, making the song feel almost like a pep talk. Her spirits were beginning to pick up when Michiru begin taking out two empty bottles and filled it with a few blocks of ice.

"Hey, isn't this the theme song for that new drill anime?"

"Yeah! No wonder I sort of knew the lyrics…"

"That girl's good! Is she busking?"

"Woah… she's pretty cute, too…"

The random chitter grew into a low hum around them, as the idol continued singing and jamming with the impromptu accompaniment of Michiru's makeshift maracas.

* * *

_**hashiridashita omoi ga ima demo**_

_**kono mune wo tashikani tataiteru kara**_

_**kyou no boku ga sono saki ni tsuzuku**_

_**bokura nari no asu wo kizuiteiku**_

* * *

_Because my thoughts that started running_

_Are certainly knocking on my chest even now_

_The me today will continue ahead_

_I'll go build a tomorrow that'll become us_

* * *

_**kotae wa sou itsumo koko ni aru**_

_The answer, that's right, is always here_

* * *

By the first refrain of the song, people had joined Michiru in an impromptu orchestra of claps and table-drumming. Meanwhile, realization began to dawn in Hinata's mind. There's a tomorrow! There's another time! Her inner self declared. The wall-watch stated that it's almost half to two, prompting Hinata to turn to Ayame.

"Ano, is my order done? I need to get back to the Guard Post!" Hinata quickly yammered. "They're probably quite hungry by now…"

"Well… the ramen's all done and packed, though the tea could use some more chill," the waitress said, almost forgetting that Hinata was waiting.

"Uh… I guess that's good enough… can I have it?" Hinata replied.

* * *

**_subete ga marude atarimae mitai datta_**

**_toutoi hibi wa mada owaranai soshite mata_**

* * *

_Everything seemed to be completely obvious_

_The precious days still won't end; and again-_

* * *

**_ano hi kureta kotoba ga ima demo_**

**_kono mune ni tashikani todoiteru kara_**

**_kinou yori mo kyou boku wa_**

**_boku no umaretekita wake ni kizuiteiku_**

* * *

_Because the words that you gave me on that day_

_Certainly reach my chest even now_

_Today, I'll realize the reason of my having been born_

_More than I did yesterday_

* * *

**_kotae wa sou itsumo koko ni aru_**

_The answer, that's right, is always here_

* * *

"Here you go… watch out, they're quite heavy," Ayame stated as she heaved the order, already packed neatly in plastic bags, to the counter. "That'll be… 9500 ryo."

"Here's the money," Hinata said as she tentatively checked her order, before placing a 10000 ryo note. Ayame quickly handed her the change, just as Reira finished her performance to the uproarious applause of the crowd.

"Michiru-chan, I must go back to the guard post now," Hinata hollered to Michiru, who was standing beside Reira. "Thanks, Nijikawa-san!"

Both girls only smiled, while giving Hinata a thumbs-up each.

…

"Well, I guess that's all that it is," Reimu said as she tightened the screw on the hinges of the bathroom door one last time. "Thus I declare the job here… done."

"Fhuu! Thank God!" Naruto breathed a sigh of relief. "If I had my Kage Bunshin, this work will be done in no time…"

"Value the merits of one's hard work, Naruto," the demure shrine-maiden gently chided, smiling a bit to the boy's brashness. "Konohagakure is not built by a thousand Kage Bunshin of the Hokage. It is built by the toils of a thousand different people…"

"O-okay…" Naruto mumbled, backing off from the topic. It seemed that Reimu liked to get philosophical on her every other sentence, something Naruto's mind had recognized to avoid.

"Well then, I suppose we can still have afternoon tea before you go," the shrine-maiden offered. "There are still some kuri youkan left..."

"Kuri… youkan?" Naruto inquired. "What manner of… tea is that?"

"It's not a kind of tea, Naruto. I'm not surprised you haven't heard of it, because youkan is a specialty food of Edo," Reimu explained as both put away the toolbox. "It tastes sweet… a bit like something between a cake and a pudding. Kuri youkan had chopped chestnut in it."

"That's what I understand! Food!" Naruto exclaimed enthusiastically.

"Finally, the shrine!" a faint hollering voice in the distance puts Reimu into a different mood.

"It seems that tea time… could wait for a bit more," Reimu intoned, smiling just slightly as she got up and turned to greet the visitor.

…

"Finally, the shrine!" Michiru hollered as she fell down on her knee in front of the offertory box. "I thought we're lost forever!"

"Me too~" the idol singer sighed in response, producing a few coins from her purse. "More reason to thank the gods…"

Reira then proceeded to slip the coins into the offertory box, while Michiru fanned herself with a folded town map while she gets up. The idol then sounded the bells mounted over the offertory box gingerly, clapped three times, and finally immersed herself in a silent prayer for more than a full minute. As Reira concluded her silent prayer, Reimu emerged from the back side of the shrine building.

"Greetings," Reimu greeted with a smile as she approached the offertory box. "Thank you for donating to the Hakurei Shrine… well, although we're not supposed to be open until tomorrow."

"Oh, the pleasure's all mine, miss shrine maiden," Reira replied with a smile. "Praying to the gods would insure smooth completion of our plans, no?"

"I guess the Hokage is so thrilled to have a new shrine that he updated the town map on the double," Michiru commented matter-of-factly as she pointed to her town map. "I grabbed one from the info bureau, it's already there…"

"My, my… Hokage-sama sure is considerate. Say, have I seen you somewhere?" Reimu inquired as she threw Michiru a questioning look.

"Yeah… er… two, three days ago perhaps? I think you're that girl who needs to meet with the Hokage…" Michiru answered as she fanned her heating body with her map.

"Ah yes… were you an acquaintance of Naruto-kun, then?" the shrine maiden further asked.

"Yeah… we're part of Genin Team 9," Michiru said lightly. "My name is Michiru Nogami… Now that you mentioned it, I think he took a job from this shrine when we were picking D-ranks earlier today."

"He's just about done… probably cleaning up," the shrine maiden pointed out. "We were going to have tea just as you two came… anyway, why don't you two have tea with the two of us? The more the merrier."

"Oh thank you, miss shrine-maiden!" Reira joyfully said out loud. "I'm so thirsty!"

"Man, you're a real godsend!" Michiru added.

"Right this way, then," the shrine-maiden directed, smiling.

…

"We're baaack~" Reira called as the small entourage consisting of her, Michiru, and Naruto entered the hotel room where the idol and her producer were staying.

"Ah, you're back," Tamio greeted. "We're done too. Thanks to Yagokoro-san, we can get all the permits and arrangements sorted out in a single day. Amazing when you have a local who knows where to go…"

"So that means we are set to do the concert here then?" Reira replied, beaming. "Oh, Maarin-neesan would be absolutely thrilled with the sights and sounds here… Runa-neesan will bust herself buying clothes… and to think that this town had a fabulous ramen restaurant… Ririka-neesan will go absolutely crazy!"

"God job, Michiru," Eino said. "Oh, and why are you tagging along, Naruto?"

"Michiru dropped by the shrine after I finished work," Naruto answered simply. "Thought I'd tag along when she said that you're pitching along with her mission, Eino-sensei."

"I see. How's the shrine, by the way? Any intriguing mysteries?" the jounin sensei asked, smiling as he reminded Naruto of the boy's earlier suspicions.

"Naah. Clean on all corners," Naruto said as he plopped down. "The only thing truly mysterious there is… how the hell do Edo people make foods that good? Those youkan Reimu-san had were heavenly! Almost as heavenly as Tenshi-chan's home cooking!"

"…Well, that's certainly a mystery…" Eino chuckled. "In any way, that's two missions well done. I'm sure that Hinata enjoyed hers, too… shall we pick our little princess up?"

"Let's go!" Michiru chirped. "We can still catch her if we go there now!"

"Well then, Matotora-san, we bid you farewell," Eino said as he and Naruto got up. "We must report to our superiors on completion of our missions..."

"Thank you so much for your assistance, Yagokoro-san," Tamio said as he shook the hands of Eino. "Next time we're in town, we'll be sure to enlist the help of you and your team again."

"Ah, don't mention it," Eino replied. "It's a part of our job. I hope your concert will be successful."

"Haha! I'm sure it will be! You and your team will be the first to be invited, Yagokoro-san," Tamio said happily, patting Eino's shoulder.

"You must meet my sisters and watch us sing, Michiru-chan, Naruto-kun!" Reira added while shaking Michiru's hand. "We'll see who can eat more ramen, Naruto-kun or Ririka-neesan!"

"We'll keep that in mind, Reira-chan," Michiru said as she followed Naruto and her sensei out of the room. "Goodbye!"

* * *

**Glossary:**

[1]: 'Rasshai-rasshai' is essentially a funky way to say 'Irasshaimase', which mean 'Welcome'.

[2]: A gii is a kind of loose-fitting Japanese costume top, usually used for martial arts practice. Those who practiced karate or judo usually have a set of them. And yes, Reimu is wearing a gii and hakama (Japanese baggy pants) set for her everyday costume, not that 'armpit miko' costume she is usually depicted in (google "Reimu Hakurei" pictures and you'll see what I mean by 'armpit miko' costume). In Naruto, Hiashi Hyuuga sometimes uses this kind of (stylized, of course) costume.

[3]: Sohei is a kind of Japanese warrior-monk similar to the Shaolin monks of China. They live in monasteries and learn both the sutras and martial arts.

[4]: Yamabushi is more of an ascetic kind of monks than sohei. They live secluded solitary lives deep in the forest. They follow a different set of rules and philosophy than the sohei.

[5]: 'Monooki Yaritori' is machined Japanese (y'know, the kind you get from web translation sites) for 'Storage Retrieval'.

* * *

**A/N**: Thought this story had took a nosedive to oblivion? Not just yet :D Thanks a bunch for my two lovely beta, Erendhyl and Megaolix. May The Force be with us!

* * *

Useless Omake

_In another part of Konoha proper, a case prompted a detachment of tokubetsu jounin from Konoha's Investigations of Civilian Crime to deploy on location. A man's body was found in the back alley of a shop in the commerce district, with signs of it dying from impact._

_"Seems like the cause of death isn't falling, Ebisu-taichou," a female tokubetsu jounin clad in a white labcoat intoned to her commanding officer after doing a visual examination. "The wound is not too large. It's as if… something... or somebody, around his size and weight fell on him."_

_"Hey Ebs, check it out. I think the perp ran away after getting hurt by the fall," another man said tentatively, pointing to a small spattering trail of blood. "Man, that was a pretty high fall, too…"_

_"One does not fall three stories, got hurt, and walk away…" the jounin referred to as both Ebs and Ebisu-taichou remarked, as he pulled a sunglasses out of his utility belt and proceeded to wear them. "…Unless he had something to hide."_

_From a distance, one can almost hear a resonating sound of "_**YYEEEEAAAAAAAAH!**_"._


	7. Goal Kick

Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine. Touhou is not mine. True fanfiction writing doesn't pay. Isn't it sad, Sacchin?

All hail ZUNtaniaaaaa!

* * *

**Chapter 7 – Goal Kick**

* * *

"… By now, a total of a month and a half has passed as Team 9 tackled D-rank missions while preparing for practical lessons in their craft of archery. Being the hot-heads they are, Naruto and Michiru were flabbergasted when they learned that I had forbidden them to even touch their bows before my physical conditioning and theory lessons are completed. To maximize their effectiveness as a sniper unit, this week I had them learn a genjutsu called Wakedorime no Jutsu, where they can share vision and surveillance over limited areas," Eino reported at length of what the team had done over the past weeks. "… and that concludes my report for this week, Hokage-sama."

"Excellent work…" the wizened old man replied. "I suppose I'll also give you an update on Project Migite, then."

"How far has the project progressed, Hokage-sama?" Eino asked hopefully. "The faster we can deploy the ARMS to Team 9, the better it is for the village."

"Based on the schematics the decoders had managed to understand, we have successfully completed a prototype codenamed Unit Kurogane," the Hokage said, throwing a knowing look to the jounin sensei. "Initial testing with Endan and Suidan[1] shows promising performance, but we won't know for sure until a true Danmaku no Jutsu expert tests it."

"Very well, Hokage-sama. I shall lend my expertise for testing, if you can provide secure testing grounds," the jounin instructor said tentatively as he cast a glance to the Hokage.

"Training grounds fifteen and twelve will be set aside for that," the Hokage agreed. "You might want to bring your team, too. They can get a glimpse of what they will truly be capable of."

"Very well, Hokage-sama," the jounin complied.

"Now for more serious matters," the Hokage leaned forward with a veiled look of interest. "Are they biting, Eino?"

"I cannot say for sure, Hokage-sama… I've given them the secrets you have given me clearance of, and a detailed map of Konoha, but they still seem a bit wary," Eino reported calmly. "Chances are, he is still looking for an alliance to further bolster his forces."

"Good. It means we can still catch them by surprise… when they attack," the Hokage chuckled softly.

…

"Aaah, I'm boored~" Naruto groaned as he moved to sweep the temple grounds. Today was a festive day, with the shrine celebrating the first fifty days of its opening.

"At least you don't have to wear this silly miko outfit[2]," Michiru grunted back. "I swear, I have never worn more revealing clothes than this! God, my sides feel all funny and cold…"

"I-I think th-they are… cute… s-somewhat…" Hinata meekly piped up.

"Et tu… Hinata?" Michiru exclaimed, with mock hurt on her expression.

"Yeah, so cute it's troublesome," a familiar face grunted.

"Gah! Shikamaru, you surprised me!" Michiru exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"Just paid my respects to the Kami," Shikamaru explained lazily. "As well as trying out a new place to watch the clouds…"

"Man, you can be such a lazyhead sometimes…" Naruto grunted as he gathered his dry leaves and then sat nearby. "How're your missions?"

"Troublesome as ever…" Shikamaru grunted as he plopped down on the base of a nearby tree. "Mainly troublesome deliveries. Chouji botched one mission in Pia Carrot when he overcooked the potatoes… pah, that Makiko can be such a troublesome, troublesome employer sometimes."

"Hearing a name with 'troublesome' mentioned twice from you must mean that she's quite the slave-driver…" Michiru grunted as she walked to sweep a few yards from Shikamaru's resting place. "Our mission usually sends us here. Making repairs, cleaning and stuff…"

"Unfortunately it brings us to contact with Lord Duckbutt Uchiha the Last quite often," Naruto remarked morosely. "Apparently he has been offering prayers to Lord Bishamonten quite often. A bit softer than usual, but still plenty dickish if you ask me."

"That," Shikamaru commented, "Actually is an amusing nickname for once."

"Let's get ourselves all a nickname then!" Michiru suggested excitedly. "You'll be… er… Lord Pineapple Nara the Second! Your father had a similar hairstyle, no?"

"Haaa? What manner of a troublesome name is that?" Shikamaru snapped quickly.

"Ara, aren't you people lively," Reimu cut in as she approached the quartet.

"Ah, R-reimu-san!" Hinata greeted hastily. "We're just about finished here…"

"Good work, good work," Reimu praised lightly. "The three of you are finished for today."

From a distance, Eino gazed at the three young people. His mind wandered, thinking of a meeting with the Hokage a few days ago.

…

"_I attend to your summons, Hokage-sama," Eino said, his mind questioning as he entered the Hokage's office for the second time this week._

"_Well then, let us be brief. A letter of great urgency has been sent for you from Armorica," the Hokage mentioned, cutting through the preamble. "Your… acquaintance from… what do you call it… Tekasasu sent it."_

"_What?" Eino grunted, taken by surprise. "It must be of great importance indeed… may I know what the communication details are, Hokage-sama?"_

"_There you go, Eino," the village's supreme commander intoned as he handed Eino a thin bundle of paper. "I can barely understand their Armorican… so many big words."_

"_Hmm… I see… oh my… this is indeed of great importance, Hokage-sama…" Eino mumbled in uncertainty as he read through the letter. "It is said here that the Empire of Rosskia had made their move and started their expansion… further towards the west. They have sent a platoon of their soldiers to establish a base on the mainland. My sources say that they may be the very elites… The Rosskian Empire's special forces…"_

"_That is sensitive news," the Hokage remarked, his mood changing from gauged to grim. "A covert invasion…?"_

"_But we have no concrete proof supporting this notion, Hokage-sama," Eino interrupted his own commander in mid-sentence. "Your decision to send me on a long-term mission to Armorica was not even disclosed fully to the council… they can turn against you if this would-be invasion became known, sir. The last thing we need now is another broken alliance."_

"_Well anyway, I'll step up security on the eastern borders a bit… too much would raise suspicion. Luckily, there's a new C-rank mission that will lead you to the eastern shores of Fire Country. I'll reserve it for you," the Hokage said after a moment's contemplation. "I want you to scout that stretch of shoreline for signs of infiltration, Eino. Consider this an additional recon mission for you."_

"_Consider it done, sir," the jonin sensei complied, saluting his commander. _The testing of the Kurogane will have to wait_, he thought._

…

"Whoa, sensei! What are you doing here?" Naruto exclaimed upon seeing Eino approaching them from the direction of the main worship hall.

"I'm here to hand you your laurels, of course," Eino replied as he smiled towards Reimu. "You three have completed your archery conditioning and theories, thus earning your right to wield your own bows in practice and battle."

"All right!" Naruto and Michiru exclaimed aloud, before doing a high-five. Hinata smiled and blushed but kept silent, but anyone familiar with her could see that her expression was comparable to a normal person grinning from ear to ear.

"I have blessed the bows in the name of Lord Bishamonten, and Lord Bishamonten himself dictated that every wielder of weapons blessed in His name must be worthy of it," Reimu interjected. "By your sensei's account and judgment, and by my judgment of the zeal and devotion you three have shown while working here… I have pronounced you all worthy. Stop by the shrine after you change."

"ALL RIGHT!" the two hotheads of Team 9 shouted as they pumped their fist in victory. Not only were they given their personal weapon, it was blessed in the name of the war god as well.

"But that is not all. I've obtained the details for our C-rank mission… Reimu-san, Shikamaru, do you mind?" Eino said while signaling Shikamaru to leave the general area. Shikamaru, taking the cue, left the jounin sensei and his three charges, with Reimu not far behind.

"It's a little bit out of the ordinary… we are to do an escort and support duty for an expedition to the newly-established Kurodani Natural Reserve. It's located in Hitotsubashi province, a five-day trek to the coastal area," the jounin sensei continued his explanation as Reimu moved out of earshot.

"Ugh… doesn't seem very intriguing," Naruto groaned, "I thought we'll be going to some hot zone or something…"

"Ahahah, I get your anxiety, my pupil," the sensei responded, "But let me tell you this: I've been told by the Hokage that we are to attempt count the number of one of the rarest animal on the face of the continent."

"M-may I ask what manner of animal would that be, s-sensei?" Hinata meekly interrupted.

"It's called the Twin-tailed Weasel, a small animal that were said to be descendants of the Nibi. As the chronicles say, they bear curative powers in their blood, and were hunted to extinction a few decades ago," the sensei explained as he read from the assignment scroll. "It's further said here that… um… the rare animal was known to be extinct for many years until a confirmed sighting were reported in Kurodani valley. A reserve was quickly set up, and the central government body of the Fire Country is trying to ascertain the number of animals remaining."

"Sounds absolutely charming," Michiru said, "If we can't find the weasel, it'll be as good as a vacation for us."

"But sensei… we haven't actually practiced our archery yet…" Hinata meekly cut in.

"Don't worry. We still have five days before the party we will be guarding passes through Konoha," the sensei calmed his charge.

…

"Straighten those shoulders, Naruto! You won't get as much power out of the bow unless your motion-flow is right!" Eino barked as he corrected Hinata's poise. "Michiru, quit that ice-making of yours! Your bowstring is still twanging!"

"Yessir!"

"Yes, sensei!"

From a distance, the Hokage looked on as the three genin strove hard to improve their bow form in time for their C-rank mission. Two ANBU agents flanked the top man in the village, while the third, carrying a box almost four feet long, trailed a few steps behind.

"Has the surrounding area been secured?" the Hokage discretely asked.

"We made sure that there's not a soul within half a mile except us and Team 9," the sparrow-masked ANBU said.

"Most of the known members of the Root faction have been deliberately misled to believe that the commissioned weapon is a chakra-channeling bow, similar in principle to the Hinanai family's Nijiken-type swords," the other, alligator-masked agent added.

"Good. The replica must be present in my office by tomorrow morning," the Hokage replied with a knowing smile. "Let's meet them, shall we?"

…

"Well then, that's a wrap!" Eino sternly hollered as the clock hit six o'clock. "Hinata, open those shoulders and legs more. No slouching. Naruto, work on your motion-flow and try to be stealthier. Michiru, lift that right elbow and try to lessen the twang in your bowstring when you fire."

"I didn't know that you can be that strict, Eino," the Hokage said in a grandfatherly tone as he made his appearance known. "Good evening, Team 9."

"Sir!" the team quickly saluted.

"At ease," the Hokage dismissed the formal demeanor. "How's the training going, Naruto-kun?"

"Well… we got the basics down alright," Naruto sheepishly replied. "Though we're not quite advancing yet. Eino-sensei said our basic form still needs work… but we're working on it, believe it!"

"Good then. It seems your sensei's decision in choosing you for the team worked well," the Hokage said in his response. "Now, anything that happens here after this sentence does not go out of this field. Are we clear on that, genin of Team 9?"

"Yes sir!" Michiru was the first to reply.

"U-understood…" Hinata meekly followed.

"You can count on me, Old Man!" Naruto topped it off. "Believe it!"

"Very well. The weapon you're about to see is the weapon you will eventually wield in battle," the grand old man said as the sparrow-masked ANBU set the wooden box on a nearby table. "This is the weapon which will be vital in our future. Currently, only your sensei can wield the weapon, but it is you three who will teach its usage to future generations."

"I thought you were going to postpone the testing until we come back from the mission, sir?" Eino asked the supreme commander.

"It will give more chance for Root to compromise our cover," the old man replied knowingly. "Some of their agents higher up the command chain are starting to sniff out the decoy documents. Do begin the test, Eino. Genin, behold… Prototype Kurogane."

"That's a cool name!" Naruto enthusiastically commented.

"It must be an awesome weapon indeed…" Michiru added as Eino opened the box and hefted the weapon.

The weapon itself was pretty large, almost as long as Naruto was tall. Large parts of the weapon were constructed from fine and well-oiled wood, but the dark-colored metal pipe and mechanisms mounted on the wooden frame stood out. Its peculiar handle suggested a different use than a quarterstaff, but the correct way to use it was lost to the three genin.

"It looks… like a spear…" Hinata observed in the receding dusk.

"Shall I start, Hokage-sama?" Eino asked as he got into firing position.

"Go ahead," the Hokage replied. "The agents have prepared several candles along the tree line for targets… around seventy, maybe a hundred feet."

"Then, let's go," Eino commented as he prepared the weapon using his chakra. "Hinata, can you assist me with Wakedorime no Jutsu?"

"Yes, sensei!" Hinata complied, running the hand-seals for the Shared Eye Jutsu while activating her Byakugan to extend her field of vision**. **She then placed her hand on her sensei's shoulder, initiating the vision-sharing. The jutsu enabled two people to share their field of vision, thus enabling Hinata to act as a 'scope' to Eino.

There was a pause for a few seconds before a brilliant streak of light exited the barrel. The streak of light sped through the air in awe-inspiring speeds, hitting and destroying the first candle like a knife through tofu. Hinata winced as she saw up-close with her Byakugan just how precise her sensei made the shot.

"As I thought…" Eino sighed in dismay. "Michiru, can I have some ice, please?"

"Uh… okay, sensei…" the ice-wielder said as she conjured a block of ice the size of the palm of her hand.

"Old Man, that's pure awesome!" Naruto hollered enthusiastically.

"As… 'awesome' as it is, prototype Kurogane is nearly useless in a real battle situation, Hokage-sama," Eino finally delivered his verdict, as the Fuyukaze-generated ice hissed on contact with the metal parts of Kurogane. "The balance of the weapon is indeed very good, suited for long-range shots. However, the steel used for the barrel is not chakra-saturated and tempered enough in the making, resulting in poor chakra compression and very fast heat buildup. I think Prototype Kurogane can't fire more than one shot at a time, and even then it can't fire before cooling down enough to allow the metal to settle back to its original shape. If we shoot from this state, the barrel might melt… or worse still, explode."

"Hmm, that's a noteworthy judgment… you're the weapon expert on this one alright," the third agent, a bear-masked ANBU remarked as the special operative jotted down some details. "Any workaround for this? For future models, perhaps?"

"We… may try reinforcing the insides of the barrel with Fuuinjutsu," Eino suggested. "The seals will aid in achieving the desired chakra compression, as well as helping curb the heat problem…"

"I think a matrix of water, fire, and metal should help perfectly on this," the Hokage added. "Although inscribing a seal on metal would present a whole new level of complication…"

"Er… are they even talking in Common anymore?" Michiru sighed exasperatedly as the three genin witnessed the discussion between their sensei, the Hokage, and Bear-Mask drag on.

"…They lost us," Naruto remarked, imitating a well-known panel in his favorite manga.

"Team, I'll be staying for further testing," Eino mentioned as he turned from the three-way discussion. "You three can go home and prepare for our departure tomorrow. Bring your standard survival gear, I'll handle the rest. Gather on the East Gate at 10 o'clock sharp. Training dismissed."

"Remember, not a word," the Hokage reminded.

"Count on me, Old Man!" Naruto proudly hollered.

"N-Not a word, H-Hokage-sama," Hinata replied meekly.

"I swore on my Nindo!" the last reply from Michiru rang out.

…

"Heya Hinata!" Michiru said as she ran to their designated meeting place. "Am I late?"

"N-no, Michiru-chan…" Hinata replied, toying with a strap of her rucksack. "Naruto was here, but he went to… er, I think the toilet, a few minutes ago…"

"Sensei isn't here yet?" Michiru questioned further.

"He sent a… bunny here earlier…" Hinata answered, pointing to a small pile of rucksacks, arrow tubes, quivers, and bow cases on the ground. "He said he was picking up our clients…"

"Ooh, Michiru-chan!" Naruto greeted, finished with his business in the toilet. "We're good to go, then!"

"Just out of curiosity Naruto… did you bring instant ramen for your provisions…?" Michiru probed cautiously.

"Yeah! As if you had to ask?" Naruto proudly mentioned. "It's easy to make, delicious, and can be eaten dry! Very convenient!"

"Aaah… shouldn't have asked…" Michiru grunted, putting her hand to her face.

"Ah, you three are gathered," the sensei greeted with two men and a woman in tow. "Gentlemen, these are my disciples. They will be helping me ensure your safety."

"Ah, what lively youths!" a bearded, burly middle-aged man exclaimed. "I am Genjiimaru Youki, a retainer of the Morichika clan. Nice to meet you!"

"I'm Rinnosuke Morichika, and this is my little sister and erstwhile secretary Tokiko," the younger, bespectacled man said. "The Daimyo of The Fire Country tasked our clan with the noble responsibility, since Hitotsubashi had always been our ancestral home. I hope we can work well together."

"Hello… I hope we wouldn't cause too much trouble…" the white-haired girl with streaks of blue bangs added bashfully.

"Nice to meet you three! I'm Naruto Uzumaki, she's Hinata Hyuuga, and the girl in blue is Michiru Nogami!" Naruto replied with enthusiasm matching Genjiimaru's. "We're going to protect you with all our might! Believe it!"

"Well then, now that we know each other, let's get started on the journey," the jonin sensei concluded. "We'll be making our first stop at the town of Kuribayashi, so let's get walking. Genjiimaru-san, lead the way. Naruto, you take the rear with me. Hinata, Michiru, be ready with your bows on the flanks. Team Nine, begin mission."

"Yes sir!" The three team-members complied, quickly hauling their own packs, quivers, and weapons.

"Lively and well-trained," Genjiimaru chuckled. "I feel safe already."

…

Far away, in the shores of Hitotsubashi…

"Faster, faster!" a man clad in camo uniform barked. "I want the command camp up and running in thirty minutes! Move, move, move!"

"A strange land indeed, Kapitan," A stern-looking woman emerged from the just-arriving transport vessel. "How long will our current supplies last?"

"We have been on the sea for little over two months," the captain replied respectfully. "Our rations will last about two weeks at most. We have plenty of weapons and ammunitions, though."

"Very well. I'll set up hunting-scouting parties**, **and those groups are to start documenting local landmarks starting tomorrow. Establish perimeter and set temporary patrols," the female commander rattled. "We are to establish foothold in this region as Moscow dictated."

"Consider it done, Colonel Kaminsky," the captain saluted as he turned to issue more commands to his subordinates.

...

The Fire Nation is one of the leading world powers in the continent. Its major streets are wide and well-traveled, owing to the lively trade between its towns and cities. Security, however, remains an issue in more remote areas. The towns and cities are provided with their own City Watches by the daimyo, but since they are spread rather wide apart, the areas between them can have their fair share of bandits and highwaymen. In fact, a fair share of C-class missions in Konoha are escort details requested by people all across the country.

In fact, Team 9 would have a taste of such lack of security as they continued on with the journey. They were a day and a half off Kuribayashi, traversing through the hilly road between Kuribayashi and Hibachi, the first large town in Hitotsubashi province along their way. The forests around them were moderately thick, with hilly terrain suitable for ambush.

"S-sensei… I sense unknown chakra signatures…" Hinata whispered as she fell back to her sensei guarding up the rear. As if on cue, the sensei signaled for Naruto to take her place in the left flank of the little group. "Maybe four… five people…"

"The Killbox…" Eino grunted discretely, readying his own bow.

"I-I thought… i-it was termed… 'ambush', sensei?" Hinata asked unsteadily. Grogginess seeped into the grip to her bow. After all, this was her first real mission, away from the safety of the village and all.

"The Ambush, where they stop us, is ahead. The Killbox, where they will kill us as we try to escape, is here," the jonin sensei whispered, before saying something more loudly. "Genjiimaru-san! I take it you are a Bushi[4]?"

"Well yes!" Genjiimaru replied with an offhand remark. "Good with the sword and the spear!"

"He is one of the best our clan has to offer, Yagokoro-san," Rinnosuke cuts in. "Also my tutor, if I am to add."

"Then I will entrust the safety of Tokiko-dono to you, Rinnosuke-dono," Eino said, still aloud. "We are having company in a few. Team, under no circumstance are you to leave Rinnosuke-dono and Tokiko-dono!"

"You can count on me for that!" Naruto grunted.

"Yes sir~" Michiru replied gleefully.

"We shall stop here and wait," Eino commanded, still in a loud voice. "No point in deliberately running into ambush and getting really surrounded."

"S-sensei, aren't we supposed to quiet down…?" Hinata asked quietly, slightly fidgeting.

"Ambushers usually rely on the element of surprise… by telling them that we're ready, we eliminate that element," the sensei explained. "Now, can you help me with Wakedorime no Jutsu?"

"Y-y-yes, sensei!" Hinata quickly complied and did the vision-sharing genjutsu. As soon as Hinata's hand made contact to Eino's shoulder, he could feel his vision change, expanding and turning into slightly bizarre, swirling greyscale imagery.

"O-on your left, sensei… three people… I t-think," Hinata mentioned carefully. "A-around our b-back… two… m-maybe three more… Th-they haven't m-moved, though…"

"I see… Hmm… How would you like the taste of… this?" the sensei whispered as he nocked his own yumi[5], letting the arrow sit for a second before swiftly firing it.

With a quiet 'thump' sound, Hinata could see the arrow embedding itself on the sensei's target: a highwayman's head. She winced as she witnessed the man's chakra flow go haywire for a second before vanishing altogether. A long whistle quickly sounded from the direction Eino shot.

"S-sensei! A-about five people f-from the front!" Hinata alerted as new chakra signature approached fast from further along the path.

"Genjiimaru-san, I leave the approaching bandits for you! Naruto, Try to cover Genjiimaru-san! Do not hit him!" Eino commanded. "Michiru! Shoot to the direction where I shoot!"

"Yes sir!" Naruto and Michiru quickly complied.

"A-Arrows!" Hinata groggily warned as her Byakugan detected projectiles coming at them. "G-get down!"

A split-second later, several arrows fell from above, one just missing Hinata and another pinning a tip of Tokiko's hakama to the ground.

"K-kyaaaa!" Tokiko shrieked.

"Use our bags as shields, Rinnosuke-dono!" Eino commandedwhile nocking his yumi again. "Stay low!"

"A-a-another i-incoming, s-sensei!" Hinata warned again, dropping her bow to cover Tokiko with a makeshift shield made from her mission rucksack.

"They're quite fast…" Eino grunted as he released the arrow towards a low ledge where the arrow-shooting bandits had hidden a few moments ago. Without support from Hinata's Wakedorime no Jutsu, his best bet now was shooting by memory, hoping that the bandits didn't move from their current 'nest'. "Are they double-strafing…?"

"Oh, more of our friends have shown up I see!" Genjiimaru remarked as he drew his katana out from its sheath, anticipating the approaching bandits who were now within visual range. "Let the arrows loose, boy!"

"On it, sir!" Naruto replied, a grin forming on his face as he fired an arrow aimed to a bandit's head. It hit somewhat lower, but enough to incapacitate the man.

"Kill 'em! They're Konoha imposters!" a bandit wearing an old breastplate shouted. "No ninja used bow and arrows!"

"Not on my watch!" the retainer bellowed mightily as he slashed the stomach of the highwayman closest to him.

"Hot dang he's strong!" Naruto commented hotly as he let loose another arrow to an open back of a bandit. By now he had distanced himself from Genjiimaru, letting the bear of a man hack and slash his way through the remaining bandits.

"S-sensei! Th-the bandits w-waiting at our rear are approaching!" Hinata again sounded her concern. "T-two… no! Th-three!"

"Bah, this is wearing us out…" Eino grunted. "Naruto! Stall the approaching bandits with your Kagebunshin but do not engage them yourself! Michiru, support Naruto!"

"On it, sensei!" Michiru and Naruto quickly replied, swiftly obeying as Eino dropped his yumi and ran through the hand-seals needed for Danmaku no Jutsu.

"Kagebunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto bellowed as he spawned six clones of chakra constructs, all ready for a fight. Mentally he willed them to engage the approaching hostiles, as Eino separated himself from the group to engage the hidden bowmen.

"Die, bandits!" Michiru bellowed as she let loose an arrow aimed to a bandit in melee with Naruto's shadow clone. It accidentally hit a clone, the arrow falling harmlessly to the ground as the clone dissipated. "Uhhh… woopsies. Sorry Naruto!"

"Yowch, that looks nasty. Good thing I wasn't actually there…" Naruto remarked as he saw the spectacle. He quickly spawned another six clones, all now standing by around the main group.

The fight was concluding as fast as they had started. Genjiimaru was clearly not a fair match for the poorly-trained bandits, and one by one they fell to the might of his blade. Naruto and Michiru worked well in eliminating their share of bandits, while Hinata had her Byakugan active to look for further reinforcements and hazards while providing some measure of protection to Tokiko and Rinnosuke.

"Haha! I knew these thugs were just untrained stragglers…" Genjiimaru remarked as the last bandit he was taking care of fell. "Done here! Everybody okay?"

"Apart from my little sister's hakama, we're alright Genjiimaru-san," Rinnosuke answered, patting his sister's head to comfort her.

"That's the last of them, I hope!" Michiru commented as she downed the last of their share of attacking thugs with a well-placed shot to the throat.

"Where's Eino-sensei, though?" Naruto wondered as he picked up his own bow, discarded in the process of casting Kagebunshin no Jutsu.

"Uhh… I-i think he's done t-taking care of the bowmen," Hinata said, her Byakugan still active and tracking Eino.

A few minutes later, Eino emerged from the direction he went chasing the bandits. A few leaves could be seen sticking to his silvery hair, but otherwise the jonin was unscathed.

"Ah, I see we're done here. Good job, Team. Thanks for the help, Genjiimaru-san," Eino said as he reached for his canteen and took a sip.

"Don't sweat it! I needed the stretch anyway," Genjiimaru said lightly as he wiped the blood on his sword with a cleaning paper.

"S-sensei… There are… several of the bandits who are still breathing…" Hinata meekly mentioned to the jonin tutor. "Are… we going to help them…?"

"Aaah… that's a hard one…" Rinnosuke grunted. "On one side, they're human… on the other side… they're thugs…"

"Do you know the way from here to Hibachi, Rinnosuke-dono?" Eino asked quickly.

"Well, yes. I think it'll be a little more than four hours' walk from here," Rinnosuke explained as he looked around for distance markers. "Our clan's entourage used this road a lot when traveling to Edo, so I am quite familiar with the routes…"

"Very well. Genjiimaru-san and I will stay for a while to give the survivors some first aid. The rest of you will continue to Hibachi. This is an order. Understood?" Eino commanded to the entourage.

"Yes sir," Naruto and Michiru complied almost immediately.

"B-but sensei… I-I might be able to…" Hinata stuttered in her reply.

"That is an order, Hinata," Eino replied, his tone grim and slightly lower than usual.

"Y-yes sensei," Hinata mumbled as she hauled her pack.

"We'll be fine," Genjiimaru assured the gray-eyed genin with a pat on her shoulder. "You should accompany Tokiko-sama, Hinata-kun. She still seemed a bit shocked."

"Get going," Eino said softly to Hinata. "Save some energy and don't tire your eyes, Hinata. Your Byakugan will be vital for the mission."

"I-I will… sensei, Genjiimaru-san," Hinata replied shortly.

The small entourage consisting of the three genin of Team 9, Rinnosuke, and Tokiko then sets off. Hinata stayed close with Tokiko, while the rest of them guarded the two girls with a triangle formation. The two men who stayed behind just looked.

"It's hard protecting their innocence, isn't it?" Genjiimaru said as the entourage vanished around the bend further some ways down the road. "May I have some water?"

"Yeah. Those children are taught to fight their opponents in battle to the fullest… and ready to put their life on the line for the mission," Eino grimly noted while handing his canteen to the middle-aged man. "Yet the concept of mercy killing is deliberately left out from the curriculum…"

"This isn't mercy killing, though," Genjiimaru sighed as Eino handed him his canteen. "We samurai simply called this 'justified'."

* * *

Glossary:

[1]: 'Endan' comes from two Japanese phrases, 'en' which means fire and 'dan' which means bullet. IINM, it's a basic fire jutsu that lets the user shoot fireballs at enemies. 'Suidan' is a similar jutsu of the water (hence the 'sui', which means 'water') element.

[2]: Now, Michiru and Hinata are wearing the infamous 'armpit miko' outfit, rather than the standard hakama and gii Reimu wore in the last chapter before this. In this fic, that uniform is reserved for festivals and ceremonies.

[3]: I wanted to use the term 'Black Ops', but it doesn't seem appropriate enough.

[4]: Bushi is a general Japanese term for 'warrior'.

[5]: Yumi is the word for the Japanese longbow. It's quite different than a European/English one. Do note that Team 9 genin uses the simpler composite bows.

* * *

Author's Notes:

Been awhile, i know. Thank you for my betas Erendhyl and Megaolix for the continued support, and to dear readers who kept me going with their trickle of reviews and alert subscriptions. On a different note, I'm thinking to do JulNoWriMo next month, and i had a little something in mind. Wish me luck!


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